


Wrecker Babies

by Bubonicc



Series: Wrecker Babies AU [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Caretaker AU, Wrecker Baby AU, Young Kup, Young Prowl, Young Ratchet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-04-29 17:03:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 61,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5135639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubonicc/pseuds/Bubonicc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kup opens a home for stray sparklings who have lost their way in the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Start Of Something Big

The doorbell rang and Kup leaned back on the bucket he had been sitting on to try and see who was at the front door. Sadly the plastic wrap was still over the glass so whoever was standing on the other side remained a blurred mass.

            "It's open!" He leaned forwards again, dipping the paintbrush he had in hand down into a bucket and stirring it around. "Come on in!" He brought the brush up to the wall and started slowly streaking it downwards.

            The door clicked open, and the bell that hung above jingled and then once more as it closed behind the mech who entered. He was rather heavy on his peds, but stopped and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed.

            "I didn't think you were actually going to go through with this Kup. In all honesty when I heard you bought the building I was damn near floored." Ratchet rubbed at his crest and watched Kup paint the wall a light blue-gray color. "Are you sure this is something you want to do? I mean it's a lot more work than you think it is."

            Kup let his arm fall, his hands and arms stained with little blotches of paint and primer. All day he had been working on the home, installing new windows, making sure the heating worked, and now painting the walls to all the rooms to make it homier. When he first bought the joint, it was practically a dump, damn near falling apart but after a few month’s work it was looking like home.

            "Did you have doubts when you opened the clinic in the Dead End?" He looked up at Ratchet, setting his brush down to rest on the bucket’s edge. "Listen Ratchet, I know opening place isn't going to be easy, but I want to do it. I'm tired of seeing all those sparklings die out on the streets because their carriers just can't take care of them. They deserve a life just like the rest of us." Standing up, Kup walked to the center of the room and put his hands on his hips. "I want this place to be home for those who are not lucky enough to have someone to love them."

            Ratchet walked close behind him, smiling but shaking his head.

            "Your spark is in the right place Kup, which is why I came down here to get a good look at this place for myself. Already looks better than I could have ever imagined. I also wanted you to know if you ever need help I am only a call away."

            "Thanks Ratchet. I really appreciate that. Now, I do need some advice. How many berths do you think I should bring in to start? This place has so much room space I could do so much with it. I have to find good berths! Warm blankets, pillows. Toys. Everything and anything that will make them happy."

            "I can help with all of that, but it will take a few days, though this place doesn't look quite done yet, I don't think you have anybody waiting yet, do you?" Ratchet watched Kup shake his head. "Alright, I'll get them here as soon as possible then." Patting Kup on the shoulder, the two of them walked out into the main room and to the front door.

            "I am nervous, to say the least. Do you think I would make a good sire? I mean, I know I'm not their original Sire but do you think I would do a good job?" Kup rubbed the back of his neck as the two stepped outside into the warm sunlight.

            "Kup, I don't know anybody else who would be more suited for the job. You're young and kind, and have already put so much of your spark into making sure they have a nice roof over their head. Whatever sparklings come your way when you open this place, they will be blessed to have had you take care of them. Which by the way, if I may ask, do you know how you're going to obtain new sparklings?"

            Outside, the house had a fresh coat of paint on it, a new mailbox, and freshly planted flowers. Not that Kup was much of a gardener but he did make it look significantly better than what it had. 

            "Haven't gotten that far yet in all honesty. I always figured they would find their way to me somehow after I opened this place up. I know it's far out from the main city and close to the clinic but even if I can only get a few sparklings and change their lives for the better, it will be enough. I am hoping, in all honesty, new Carriers drop them off here rather than dump them in the gutter to starve. I'll have to figure out how to get word out that I’m accepting them, free of charge.

            "I'll do what I can at the clinic. Make some posters and hand them out. Who knows Kup, in time you might have a little family here of your own. I wish you the best of luck. I have to get back to the clinic for now. Remember, you can call me any time if you need anything or any help."

            Shaking hands, Kup watched Ratchet walk off until he was out of sight before turning back to his house and looking up at it.

            "We are gonna do good here. I can feel it. Just have to polish you up and we are open." Stepping back into the house, Kup stood in the front hall, just looking into each of the rooms. Furniture was still covered in plastic and shelves all over the floors along with books scattered all over the floor.

            Heading back to the room he had been working on, Kup sat back down on the bucket and retook the paintbrush into hand. He smiled, dipping it into the paint and continuing to work until the room was covered wall to wall.


	2. Day One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, Chapters for the day by day are going to be between 1500+ words since each chapter is a fic on it own. As in Day by Day progress, Different daily scenes and events. So time jumps are probably going to happen, which is why I liked to set it up this way! Makes it easier to have random adventures with the babes!

Kup didn't need an alarm, every morning he was up just before the sun. Each morning he would go out and pick up the paper left on the ground by the end of the road and bring it back inside. He was always careful to close the door quietly as to now wake his babes.

            He would make himself a warm cup of energon and pull a chair out from the kitchen table and sit. Setting the paper down, he would read and flip through it, occasionally taking a sip of his energon. When the sun finally did peek up and the sky turned a beautiful pink and orange, he turned the small TV on that was sitting on the counter for the morning news.

            There was nothing new on, nothing but the same sad stories extended to last weeks after nobody cared about them. Some reports of slave traders being caught, Black market organ seller warehouses being broken into and raided, new police forces taking over. The same old same old, but Kup was content with it and with life so far.

            Once done with his coffee and the early morning had passed to an acceptable time to wake his babes, Kup stood from the table and headed down a hall to their bedroom.

            He paused outside the door and listened, but there was just silence so he turned the knob and entered.

            Three berths had lumps under the covers while several others remained neat and untouched. Each little lump rose and fell slowly as each babe breathed, and Kup just watched for a while before heading to the closest occupied berth.

            "Percy." His voice was soft. "Good morning Percy. Time to wake up." Tugging the blanket down a bit, Kup rubbed Perceptor’s back, smiling at him as the little red sparkling rolled over onto his beck and yawned. His little hands balled into fists and rubbed his optics.

            "Mhm?" He looked up at Kup and smiled, yawning again and stretching himself before sitting up.  "Morning Kup." Tone groggy, Perceptor slid off his berth.

            "Go brush your denta and we can make some breakfast okay?" Patting Percy on the head as he went off, Kup moved to the next berth were a rather chunky sparkling lay all tangled up in his blankets.

            "Good morning Springer. Ready for some breakfast?" Kup sat on the edge of the berth and untangled Springer’s limbs. "Pancakes or waffles today? I just bought more strawberry syrup for them." Springer’s optics onlined and he sat up, excited. "Come on, up you go. Go brush your denta."

            Moving to the third and final berth, Kup put his hands on his hips and sighed. Two little red and gray feet stuck out of the bottom of the blanket and that was all they could be seen of the babe under the covers.

            Taking one of the little feet in hand, Kup gave it a bit of a shake.

            "Time to get up, Rodimus. Can't spend the whole day in berth now." The ped in his hand was pulled from him and they both vanished under the covers. "Rodimus."

            "Mm!" A muffled grunt from under the covers as they shifted a bit, but then nothing.

            "Come on! Don't you want breakfast?" Grabbing the bottom of the blankets, Kup yanked them off the berth to reveal Rodimus curled up in a ball. He whined, covering his face from the sunlight and burying himself into his pillow.

            "Not yet! Just a little more!" His stubby spoiler flapped, but he suddenly was jerked up and down on the bed and Kup pushed hard on the berth, forcing the springs to bounce Rodimus all over. "Kup!"  He snapped, but started to laugh as Kup kept going, bouncing him all over until finally Rodimus got up.

            "Good, now go brush your denta." Draping the blanket over Rodimus, he wrapped it around him and watched him drag it off.

 

* * *

 

 

In the kitchen, Kup was at work cracking some eggs into a pan and mixing the batter for the pancakes. He hummed to himself, seeing Percy patiently waiting by his side and watching him.

            "Do you want to set the table for me?" When Perceptor nodded Kup got some plates out of the top cabinet and handed them to Perceptor. "Careful." Turning back to his pan, he started pouring the batter into the pan.

            Behind him, Perceptor placed a plate at each chair and then quickly rushed back over to the counter and pulled out a drawer. Gathering several forks and butter knifes, he went back to the table and set one each down as well.

            "Good work Percy." Springer came in next, followed by Rodimus who was rather sluggish. He had the blanket still wrapped around his head to make himself look like a nun, and even sat at the table with it like that.

            "Good Morning everybody!" Kup shook the pan, flipping a pancake as he looked over his shoulder. "Are we all hungry?" He flipped it again and the pancake flipped right out of the pan and onto the counter. "Woops." He heard Perceptor giggling behind him.

            "Can I have three?" Springer played with the table cloth, his tank rumbling from the sweet smell already wafting its way around.

            "You can have as many as you want." Turning, Kup set down a larger plate in the middle of the table that had a large stack of pancakes on it. He sorted them out, giving Springer three, Rodimus and Perceptor two and himself a few before sitting down at the end of the table.

            A large container of juice was in the center of the table as well and Kup flicked it open and poured a little bit into each babe’s cup and then passed around the syrup.

            "Not too much now, you'll get a tank ache." He warned, watching as Springer spurt some onto his breakfast then handed it off to Rodimus who had to stick his hands out the front of his blanket. He kept one out, while the other kept a firm grip on the blanket to keep it wrapped around him. He stuffed pancakes bits into his mouth with half open optics. He kept stuffing until his cheeks puffed out and he finally paused to chew. It was rather adorable and Kup watched from across the table as he stirred some sweetener into his new cup of warm energon.

            "Don't put too much in your mouth Roddy, you're going to choke yourself."

            "Mhm." A tough swallow, and Rodimus sipped his juice. "I bet I can fit two in my mouth at once."

            "I'm sure you have many hidden talents Roddy, but just focus on one at a time. I'm worried about you choking and falling asleep on one like a pillow." Some snickered and Kup watched Rodimus just start on his next pancake.

            They all munched down, Kup pausing on his own plate to help Perceptor cut his pancakes into little small squares. They listened to one another, about new shows that were airing or that new documentary Perceptor saw the night before. Rodimus talked about how he wanted to make his frame’s paint even brighter than it already was and Springer just went on about how he couldn't wait to try out his triple changing modes, which Kup had told him he wasn't ready for just yet. He told him he still needed to wait a little longer before trying to fly as it would no doubt be difficult the first time around and that he wanted to just give his little body more time to develop. Not that Springer was any kind of a pushover, for a sparkling he was already very strong, while Perceptor was smart as a whip, Rodimus had really yet to show his strong points other than sleeping in. Not that any of that was a bad thing, considering it made Kup’s mornings more entertaining forcing him to be creative on how to get Rodimus out of berth. He would have been lying if he said he didn't enjoy it and that laugh that followed every time he shook the little hot rod from the berth.

            Plates cleared, they all sat back and rubbed their plump little bellies, Springer most of all who downed five pancakes total. They each hopped down and rinsed off their plates and handed them to Kup so he could wash them off and hand them to Perceptor who dried them and set them on a rack.

            As Kup washed, he looked down at Perceptor who was smiling and humming right along with him. Only having had his homes doors open for a month, he had already collected these three babes. Perceptor had shown up first, and then Springer, and then Rodimus who was handed over by an orphanage who just couldn't handle his energy. Accepting them all, Kup made sure they had warm bed, and three meals a day, and they seemed happy. He was happy, and this was only the beginning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ill also be referring to the "babes" as "babes" instead of babies. "babies" makes my skin crawl.  
> Babes is much more cute anyway. And the "You remind me of the babe" jokes are easier to make.


	3. Day Two: Whirl Arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part one of Whirls Story arc

What is all that noise?

            The banging increased in volume, and he could have sworn he heard shouting. He had never heard it before, considering it sounded nothing like the wind pulling on the roof flaps and rattling them. This sounded more unnatural and forced, like someone was knocking angrily, or worse. It didn't lull him to sleep like the soft rains that happened once every few weeks, in fact it wasn't soothing at all.

             All he wanted to do was sleep and it was becoming increasingly difficult. Already it had been a cold night and he was feeling a little cramped, it had been two days since he had last been taken out. His plate that remained at the front of his cage was empty and he tapped it once in a while with his claw.

            I'm hungry...maybe they forgot about me again.

            He tapped a little louder on it and the banging outside turned into the sound of metal doors being blasted open. A horrifying bright white light filled the room, spilling over him and warming his cold clammy armor. He hissed at it, afraid and tried to bury himself on the small rag that had been in his little cage. Though it provided no shelter at all, the light continued to burn against him.

            Bright! Too bright! Stop it! Stop it!

            He snorted and hissed, kicking his legs against the crate walls and trying to hide himself from it. He just wanted to have his next little bit of energon and sleep. That's all he wanted, why did life have to keep torturing him?

            Turn it off! Turn it off!

            He screeched as he felt the crate he was in being jostled, and those voices he thought he heard he could really hear now. Whoever the hands were connected to were doing a good job of shaking his cage.          

A single golden optic flickered online, he looked up at the faces drowned in silhouette. It brightened when the door to his little cage opened and a large hand reached in for him.

 

* * *

 

 

Jazz had his back to the warehouse, looking around the corner, blaster in hand. Once the coast was clean he turned back and nodded to Prowl who was right by his side.

            "Ready?" His visor brightened and he watched Prowl lick his lips with anticipation.

            "Ready." They both turned, looking at the boarded up side of the warehouse and making quick work to pull off any lose pieces. It certainly was anything but quiet, but if their anonymous tip was right, the dealers who used this house were away. This gave them the chance to break in and collect any evidence, once found guilty they would lead them into a trap and have their suspect when they returned.

            It was routine really, and simple enough to catch a drug dealer or a black marker arms dealer. The fun part was finding out what they were selling.

            They tossed boards and busted scrap metal pieces down onto the ground, making the hole in the side of the wall large enough for them to get though if they went in one at a time.  

            Holding out his hand to halt Jazz from going in, Prowl flicked on a flashlight and shined it inside.

            "See anything?" Jazz leaned in to try and get a look, only catching a glimpse of a few tables and what looked like spare parts. It was quiet, except for this odd hissing they could both pick up. Prowl kept moving the light around but couldn't quite find where it had been coming from. "What is that?" There was a soft rattle of metal and more hissing.

            "Let's find out shall we?" Stepping in, Prowl made his way through the ground floor of the warehouse. He paused at a few tables, flashing his light over what looked like transformer parts. "Looks like an organ dealer. All these parts look fresh." He kept walking, moving cautiously across the room until the hissing and rattling was at its loudest.

            He looked around, only seeing some empty crates on the ground. Putting his light onto each one, he paused on a crate that was still closed and had a lump inside.

            Optics rotating and adjusting, he knelt down and tried to get a better look.

            "Find something? What is it?" Jazz came up from behind, kneeling down by him to get a better look at the thing stuffed inside a crate far too small for it.

            "I think...it's a sparkling. For Primus' sake I think there's a sparkling in this thing. Hold this." Handing off his flashlight, Prowl yanked the cage away from the wall and pulled apart the chain keeping the door closed.

            He opened the door and reached in.

            "FRAG!" His arm wrenched back, a large blue-gray mass flying out with his hand. "IT BIT ME!" Prowl whipped his hand down, throwing the babe from his hand and sending it sliding across the floor.

            Jazz turned his light on the babe who was struggling to get up onto his legs. Large claws pushed its little body upwards and then clicked in warning at the two larger mechs.

            "Grab it!" Prowl lunged forwards with Jazz, and it was a mess of flying arms and legs as they both tackled the little thing.

           

* * *

 

 

            Jazz watched Prowl’s alt mode twitch as the little babe, stuck in the back seat, jumped all over his inside. He banged his claws on the windows and kicked at the back of Prowl’s seats, continuing to screech and cry.

            "Did the precinct get back to you...Stop that!....yet?" Prowl’s headlights flashed as he spoke. "Did they....ow! Say what I'm supposed to do with him?"

            "The big boss says to take him to the hospital for evaluation first. When I told them that we found a sparkling that had empurata they wanted him to be checked out. Sparklings with this kind of surgery probably have other issues as well. When you're done, head back to base with him and from then on we will proceed. I assume this is going to be a special case. The rest of the crew is sweeping the area in case there are more like him hidden. They found this paper work here with pictures of him though. The file name is ‘Whirl.’ I guess his name is Whirl."

            "Well Whirl needs to stop...frag! Pinching my interior! Stop that!" Prowl shook his frame, jostling Whirl on the inside to fall between the seats. Whirl put his claws up, clacking them together and flailing his legs about in frustration. "Fine, I'll take him only if he gets taken and put somewhere else away from me when this is over." Starting his engines, Prowl was off.

 

* * *

 

 

Prowl certainly wasn't fond of waiting rooms, and a cranky malformed sparkling wasn't making it any better. It wasn't helping that Whirl hadn't held still the entire time, and that no matter how hard Prowl hugged him tight into his lap he would just wiggle and screech. Once in a while Whirl would clock him on the side of the head with the back of his claw and Prowl would have to hold Whirl’s arms.

            "No!" Whirl hissed, shooting one arm up and pinching Prowl’s nose. "No!" He squeezed even when Prowl pulled back and cursed. His door wings flapped up in surprise and kept flapping as Whirl kept squeezing.

            "Primus damn it!" He had to pry Whirl off, holding him out at full arm’s length to try and protect himself. He was grateful Whirl was relatively small and that for some reason he didn't move his legs too much. It was just those larger than life claws that were deadly. "Will you just hold still?! I'm trying to help you!"

            "Prowl?" A nurse pushed out a set of double doors with a clip board. She watched Prowl stand up and race to her, hurrying to get to their room and set Whirl down on the examination table and sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. "The doctor will be with you in just a moment." She closed the door behind them, leaving Prowl to nurse his throbbing nose.

            Whirl was quiet, sitting with his legs out, he looked around. His optics flickered and dimmed, not liking how bright everything was. Becoming nervous, he started to pick at his own claws, making soft whimpering noises until Prowl stood up and went over to the counter.          

            Getting the jar of cotton balls, he turned back to Whirl and dumped some out by his legs.

            "Here, play with these." Sparklings like to play with this kind of stuff right? Wrong, Whirl just narrowed his optic as he looked from the cotton up to Prowl. He was more confused than anything and just pushed them around with his claw tip until they all fell off the edge of the table.

            The door clicked open behind them and the doctor stepped in, delighted to see Prowl interacting with Whirl.

            "Hello! How are you both? I heard I had a special patient today!" He was slow to approach Whirl, not wanting to scare him anymore than he already was. "You found him today?" The doctor asked as he circled around the table to get a good look at all of Whirl’s frame. Already he could tell several of Whirl joints were stiff and aching. Another thing he looked for were the welds on his claws and new face. They were only maybe two weeks old and showing signs of slight infection.

            "Yes. In a crate, not much bigger than him. Doubt he could even stand up in it." He watched as the doctor pulled something out of his subspace and set it in front of Whirl. It was a bight energon treat, probably higher quality than Whirl had ever seen in his entire lifetime.

            "Can you pick that up for me? If you can, you can have it, it's very sweet." He watched Whirl look at him and then down at the candy. His tank rumbled, he had forgotten how hungry he was.

            He reached down, opening his claw and trying to grab it but just pushed it instead. He huffed, getting frustrated with himself and tried harder. Clamping his claw around it, he squished it and cracked the hard outside, forcing all the sweet energon on the inside out and all over the table.

            Slamming his claws down, Whirl cried and kept pinching at the liquid. As he was busy fretting over the ruined candy, the doctor tried to get a look at his side. Though a single touch had Whirl on the defensive and he snapped at the doctor.

            "Do you mind if you hold his arms for me?"

            "What are you going to do?" Prowl snagged Whirl’s arms while he was busy snorting at the doctor and held them firmly. Once he saw the doctor pull out large bands and slip them over Whirl’s claws, he understood.

            "That should keep him from pinching anymore. At least until he's in better condition for physical therapy. I can see his legs are stiff from his cage, he will need to be walked and exercised daily. Oil baths will be very soothing for him, I highly recommend you try to give him one a day if you can. The welds on his claws here," The doctor pointed them out as Whirl fidgeted, "are swollen. They need proper care or things could get complicated. Lucky for you, you found him relatively in good shape. I don't see a weld on his side which means his T-cog is still in place. Whoever did this to him hadn't farmed it from him yet. It's a shame you didn't find him before this surgery. Poor thing." He let Whirl’s bound claws go. "He needs help eating. With the way he struggles to pick up things I can see he can't use his claws very well."

            "Trust me he knows how to use them just fine." Prowl’s nose was still throbbing. "Alright, feeding should be easy enough."

            "He needs special energon, medical grade. It will help him put on some weight and heal these welds faster if you also spread some on it before he sleeps. I'll try to refer you to some homes for him that might be able to help him with his physical therapy. If he has been stuck in a crate his whole life his social skills are no doubt lacking as well. The good news is with time and some love he should come around." Though it was grim that a sparkling with Empurata would ever be adopted, but it was best not to say it out loud when Whirl was listening and still very cranky.

            Whirl chittered between them, trying to open his claws but the elastics kept them tightly closed. He whined, hiccupping and starting to fuss again until Prowl pulled him into his arms. He accepted the prescription for medical grade and left with Whirl, glad that his claws were bound and he couldn't pinch his interior as they drove back to base.

           

* * *

 

 

            "What happened to your nose?" Jazz failed to stifle his laugh as the big bruise on the bridge of Prowl’s nose.

            "I don't want to talk about it." Whirl was tightly tucked under one of his arms. His optic was narrowed and he kicked his little back legs out once in a while, though he was tiring out. He sagged in Prowl’s arms until they got to his very small office.

            He set Whirl down, helping him stand before turning to Jazz and talking to him about what to do with him.

            Whirl looked up at Prowl then looked about the room. Everything was so neat compared to his old home. He turned, looking up at a tall bookshelf before hearing his name and looking back at Prowl.

            "Bet you're hungry. Haven't eaten all day have you? Maybe that will put you in a less crabby mood, hmm?" Fishing out a cube of medical grade, Prowl cracked it open and knelt down by the little sparkling.

            He wasn't surprised when Whirl hissed and backed up, but he was slow and Prowl cornered him.             He let Prowl get as far as unscrewing his fuel cap and pouring the entire cube in until the horrid taste filled his system and he shrieked.

            A heavy claw came down hard on Prowl’s head and the empty cube popped from Prowl’s hand. He saw stars, not expecting Whirl to pack such a punch.

            "Ahg!" Covering his head, Whirl kept hitting him with those big grippers. There was screaming and flailing and Jazz had to step in to separate the two of them if only to keep Prowl from getting knocked out.

            "Guess he doesn't like that." Jazz helped Prowl stand up and watch Whirl thrash about. Luckily the tantrum didn't last long and Whirl came to a stop and sat in the middle of the room, just sniffling and rubbing the tops of his claws against his optic lens. Thick tear globs rolled from the lens, trickling down his claws and onto the floor.

            "Poor little guy..." Jazz said softly, patting Prowl’s shoulder. "Listen, the boss said he sent you a message. Said to let you know when you had time to look at it. I have to head out but if you need anything, just call." He gave Prowl a hopefully smile and then went over to Whirl, patting him on the head and telling him he was going to be alright before leaving.

            Sitting down at his desk, Prowl sighed and clicked on his holo-screen. Already the message from his superior showed up and he clicked on it.

            The sparkling you found is in processing for a home. Unfortunately the results will not be for a few days. I am putting you in charge of his care until then. Best of luck.

            Prowl covered his face with his hands and growled. Sure he was new to the police force, but this wasn't part of his pay grade. At no point was he supposed to baby sit or even come in contact with this kind of thing. The only good news was that it would only be a few days and he should be free of him once a home has been processed and he could drop him off with wishes of recovery.

            Looking up when he heard a particularly loud hiccup, He saw Whirl looking down at his bound claws. He kept trying to open them, only stretching the elastic but not breaking it. Several times he had tried to get them off but failed and had to live with it.

            "Come on...let's get out of here."

            The ride to Prowl’s apartment was as quiet as his entire day had been. Whirl had passed out curled up on one of the back seats. He was almost cute if he hadn't almost pinched Prowl’s nose off.

            Prowl carried him inside, setting him down on his sofa and putting a blanket over him. This was probably the first time Whirl had slept on something better than the cold floor. Hopefully it wouldn't take long before he was feeding him better energon than medical grade, considering he wasn't too fond of it.

            Sighing, Prowl needed some energon of his own and left Whirl to rest on the couch while he made his way into the kitchen. He poured himself two glasses and sucked them down and was about to make a third when he heard a loud thump.

            Heading back into the living room, he looked at the sofa to see Whirl was missing from where he was napping but was now occupying a place by Prowl’s book shelf.

            Several files had been pulled off and papers were scattered all over. Whirl, was standing on some of the papers, using his bound claw to knock more books off the shelf. He laughed when they hit the floor but when he noticed Prowl, he shrieked and ran.

            "Hey!" Prowl ran after him, but stopped when Whirl dove under the sofa and crawled under it. "What the hell are you doing?!" Getting down, Prowl looked under to see only the large golden optic. Several hisses sounded and he just stood up. "Fine, stay under there." Angrily, Prowl shuffled all his papers back together and set them back on the shelf. "Devil child."

            As much as he had hoped the night would go smoothly, it didn't. He had tried several times to get Whirl to lay down on the sofa to sleep but he was wide awake and screaming. Whenever Prowl tried to touch him he would shriek or clonk him on the head, only frustrating the young cop to the point he just went to his own berth room and flopped down.

            He figured Whirl would be harmless enough wandering around the apartment and that he could just sleep through it. He even put the Holo screen on with some cartoons for Whirl to watch but he showed no interest in them. Instead Whirl spent the night knocking over everything he could possibly reach. Turing the wash rack shower on and off, pulling all of the pots and pans from Prowl’s cupboards, and banging on them with his claws.

            Meanwhile, Prowl laid on his back on his berth just staring up at the ceiling cursing Primus and wondering what he had done in life to be punished. The worse part about it all was that when Prowl got up in the morning he would find Whirl passed out sleeping in the middle of the living room floor.

            "Glad you got some rest."

            The days following were just as horrible. Feeding Whirl was a constant challenge even with his claws bound he was very good at using them as hammers. At one point Prowl was sure Whirl had cracked his crest. Whirl would scream and fight him but Prowl wouldn't give up until that entire cube was in his fuel tank. Nearly three times a day Prowl would have to catch and fight with him, pinning him to feed him.

            Trying to give him a bath was out of the question considering every time Prowl got close to him Whirl would hide under the sofa and just hiss at him. Maybe it was best that when he was given to a home; they could do it. It was already hard enough feeding him and caring for his welds.

            By day three Prowl was sure he was going to crack, but was relieved when finally an email showed up on his HUD. Absolutely exhausted, he opened it and read it, spark sinking only moments after.

            I know this is going to come as a disappointment, but all of the local orphanages are already filled past their limits. The ones who have special care for this kind of situation especially. Judging by his age, he would be too young to submit to a youth home and would be left out on the streets. So I ask you continue to hold onto him until and opening presents itself in the late future.

            Prowl staggered back onto the sofa, his door wings drooping. He looked down at Whirl who was sleeping half under the sofa, his legs sticking out slightly.

 

* * *

 

 

            "You look like hell." Jazz said as he entered Prowl’s office. He took a moment to process Whirl had a child leash around his frame and was tied to the leg of Prowl’s desk. Though he was sitting watching Prowl stick papers into the paper shredder. Oddly enough it was entertaining him.

            "I haven't slept...in days...days Jazz...days." He stuck another paper into the shredder and Whirl chirred happily as the little shredded bits fell into the bin below. "He doesn't sleep normal hours. He's always awake during the night. I gave him some enegex last night mixed in his medical grade to try and knock him out but it made it worse. He was off the walls! Jazz I'm trying, I really am but I just don't have the time or energy to take care of him. I can't give him what he needs. I can't even get close to him or he starts growling at me." Prowl watched as Jazz came over and leaned on his desk. He crossed his arms and smiled as he looked down at Whirl.

            "I might have some good news for you then. I have been hearing around lately that that Kup fella has opened up some sort of home for unwanted sparklings. It's a bit of a trip from here, but it's the best chance you have since all of the homes in the cities are full. As far as I know he may just have what this little guy needs." Pressing a few buttons on his arm HUD, Jazz sent Prowl the directions to Kup’s home. "It's a few hours' drive but it's worth a shot."

            "It's not that I don't like him or anything...I just..."

            "I know, you're doing your best. But take him to Kup’s." Kneeling down, Jazz smiled at Whirl as he looked at him. "You be good now." A small pat to Whirl’s back and Jazz saluted Prowl before he was gone.

 

* * *

 

 

Prowl kept Whirl in one arm while he ran the doorbell to the house Jazz had given him the location to. It looked rather well kept and seemed to have a large fenced off backyard, perfect for sparklings to play in.

            "Coming!" Sounded a muffled voice from the inside, and the door opened a short moment later. "Can I help you?" Kup asked as he looked at Prowl, and then down at Whirl who was trembling in his arms.

            "I heard you are taking in strays?"

            "Yes." Kup smiled down at Whirl who fidgeted and hissed at Kup when he leaned closer to get a better look. "We have plenty of room here. Plenty of others to play with."

            "Oh thank Primus" Prowl shoved Whirl into Kup’s arms. "He really needs someone better than me to handle him. I...I'm not the sparkling kind."

            "He'll be safe here." Kup set Whirl to sit on his arm. "I got a message from your colleague, he said I should be expecting you. He sent me most of the info on this little fella. I already stocked up on medical grade and have looked into some therapists for him. He will be just fine here. A great addition to the family. Right?" Kup looked at Whirl who put his head down and whined. "Just need to warm you up is all."

            "Take care of him, alright?" Not expecting to feel a sudden tug on his spark, Prowl leaned over and put his hand under Whirl’s chin. "Try not to cause too much trouble here alright? You're going to be happy here. Kup will take care of you. Don't pinch anybody." A final wave and Prowl walked off, though when he got to the street he paused and looked back at Kup who waved to him.

            Transforming, Prowl zoomed off, vanishing into the dust and leaving Whirl to his new caretaker.

            "Alright, come on, let's get you inside." Kup stepped back into the house, closing the door behind him and setting Whirl down. He paused, seeing a thick tear welling up under his optic lens. "Aw, don't cry you precious thing. Come here." Pulling Whirl into a tight hug, Kup nuzzled the side of his head. "You're alright, everything is going to be alright. I'll take care of you. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but all I really wanted was for Whirl to honk the hell outta Prowls nose  
> [Check Out This Artwork By Cosmicdanger!](http://cosmicdanger.tumblr.com/post/132441755742/the-orphanages-are-full-hes-not-old-enough-for/)  
> 


	4. Day Three: Whirls Arc

Prowl had lost Whirl at first, having only set him down for a few moments to lock the door and put his reports down to look back and see Whirl was missing. How he could move that fast on those thin little legs was surprising to say the least. Though Whirl was not overly difficult to find as any place he hid, when Prowl got close the growling got louder.  He would get down on his knees a flip the little lip of the sofa’s curtain up and see a golden optic staring at him. He pulled back as Whirl pushed a bound claw forwards, intending to hit Prowl in the face but he was just fast enough.

            Whirl seemed to favor under the sofa the most, as he must have known Prowl was too big to get him out from under it so it seemed the safest place. Not that Prowl couldn't just lift it and snatch him up but it was better to just leave him be. He had a lot of work to do and a small amount of time to do it. If Whirl wanted to hide under the sofa for a while and leave him alone, he wasn't going to complain. If Whirl wasn't under the sofa he was usually under Prowl’s berth. He moved back and forth between them when Prowl wasn't looking, though he only moved when Prowl moved, following him from room to room. He assumed it was Whirl’s way of silently telling him he didn't want to be alone.

            "Are you hungry? You have to be hungry." Prowl set a cube down just next to the sofa and stood back. He waited and watched, seeing Whirl’s claw peek out and pull the small cube under.

            As he thought, he was hungry.

            As the days went on with Whirl in his care, he was slowly figuring out how the traumatized sparkling functioned and at what times he needed what. Usually midday and late at night Whirl would get hungry and make odd whining noises from wherever he was. Sometimes he would kick the wall. Prowl wondered if he did this to his cage to make it rattle to alert whoever kept him captive he was hungry.

            Regardless, Prowl answered his calls for food, hoping it would get Whirl on his good side. Which it didn't, or it didn't seem that way at first as Whirl swung at him any chance he had with his bound claws when he was caught out in the open.

            Some nights while Prowl worked at his desk, he would look over to the sofa and see Whirl’s head popping through watching him. When Whirl noticed Prowl had caught him peeping, he would squint his optic and pull himself back under to be hidden. It was actually rather amusing, and Prowl enjoyed catching him watching. He enjoyed how Whirl would wait a few minutes for Prowl to stop looking and peep out again.

            It seemed to be a ritual that continued for a few days. Come home from the precinct, feed Whirl, let him nap, do work and then to berth himself.  Whirl, for the most part, was obedient, except he did get himself into trouble when he thought it amusing to pull all of Prowl’s books from the shelves or hide the remote to the holo-screen. It wasn't terrible, the hitting was manageable to a point and even seemed to die down the more Prowl fed him.

            There was no major change until a night Prowl was up working late. He dozed off at his desk only to wake a while later when something climbed into his lap. It curled up faster than he could get his optics on.

            It had been a surprise to see Whirl there, snuggled against him. Head tucked against Prowl’s stomach, Whirl’s optic was half lit. He kept his claws close, his little wings and antenna down. Maybe he thought Prowl would shove him off but instead a gentle hand came down and stroked his neck.

            "We've got to find you a home."

"Whirl." Whirl’s optic rotated and narrowed as he was pulled from his daydream. He had been looking out the window to the main street as if he was waiting for something or someone. He turned, interlocking his claws with one another before looking at Kup.

            It had been a few months since Prowl had left him, and ever since then Whirl would get himself onto the sofa and onto the windowsill to watch and wait to see if he would come back. He knew Prowl’s work hours, and he did have some sense of time. When the sun started to go down and the sky run red and orange would be the time Prowl headed home. Or maybe here to visit.

            Having noticed Whirl nest himself on the windowsill each day, Kup set up several blankets and pillows for him to make it a more comfortable place to wait. He didn't have the heart to tell him Prowl probably wasn't coming back. He hoped he was wrong.

            "Come, sit with me." Sitting himself in the middle of the room, Kup pulled over several blocks and started to stack them. "I have something to tell you."

            Whirl's antenna perked up and he hopped down, sitting himself down by Kup and quickly picking up blocks to stack them along Kup’s tower.

            It had taken him only a few weeks to warm up to Kup. Even when he pinched him or the other babes, Kup never once threatened to put the bands back on him. Instead Kup would kneel down and hold Whirl’s claws and tell him he didn't have to pinch anybody and that he would be heard if he wanted to talk. He told Whirl he would listen to him no matter what and that he didn't have to resort to hurting the others to do it.

            It had worked to a point, as Whirl became a little more vocal with the others. He did pinch Rodimus the most but it was hard to say it wasn't always deserved as Rodimus did pinch him back. It was progress and that is all Kup could hope for. With time, it did get better but Whirl was still quiet, only talking when he was hungry. Which is when Kup decided it would be best to seek outside help for his little empurata.

            "Someone is coming to visit you." Kup stacked a block and watched Whirl set one on top of his.

            "Prowl?" Another block and he looked at Kup, hope shimmering on his optic’s edge. It died down when he watched Kup shake his head.

            "No. His name is Rung. He's tall, and orange, and very nice. He's just going to talk to you for a while. Even play if you like. How does that sound?" Whirl visibly slumped, and Kup sighed. He set his hand on Whirl’s head and gave it a small rub. "I know you want to see Prowl, and I am sure he wants to see you too. His job keeps him busy."

            "Yeah." Flicking the tower, the blocks scattered on the rug. "I don't want to talk."

            "I know Whirl. I know, but Rung will be there to listen if you want to. He won't make you." Reaching over, Kup picked Whirl up and sat him on his hip. "You never know, you might like him."

            The stick figured sparkling was doubtful. He allowed Kup to take him to the babes’ berth room and set him on his own berth. It had been nice having his own berth, considering what he had slept on for most of his life was a dirty rag that was usually always damp and gross. Having clean covers and room to stretch his legs was a nice change.

            "It's late. Get some rest. Maybe in a few days we can go and visit Prowl if he doesn't stop by. How does that sound?"

            "Yeah?!" Whirl pinched his blankets and tugged them over himself. "Can we?"

            "I'll make a call and plan something out. Now get some sleep." He stood and watched Whirl flop down onto his pillows. As Kup walked around and said goodnight to each babe, Whirl hugged his pillow.

           

* * *

 

 

            Whirl’s optic narrowed, honing in on those thick black pieces of metal rising and falling above Rung’s optics. No way those things could be real, far too large and... far too expressive. Why would he stick them to his face, they looked utterly strange.

            Whirl peeked out from behind Kup’s leg again, looking Rung up and down again. He was tall and a vibrant orange, well kept and very soft spoken. While he talked to Kup, Whirl moved out from behind his leg and closer to Rung.

            He squinted, looking up at him as he stood between the two chatting adults. He noticed Rung was holding a wrapped box and his claws clicked together in wonder.

            Seeing Whirl looking at him, Rung knelt down to get level with him. He smiled, his optics making his glasses glow a bit and those eyebrows get closer to him.

            "Hello Whirl. I came to talk with you today. I even brought you something to play with, Kup tells me you really like making things. I figured we could sit and make something together and talk a little bit, how does that sound?" He paused, seeing Whirl reach a claw up and pinch one of his eyebrows.

            He pulled but it didn't come off. Alarmed, Whirl pulled his claw back quickly and stepped back to hump into Kup’s knee. He looked up at Kup, and then back down at Rung who was still smiling.

            "They are real."

            "This guy's a nerd." Whirl reached up and tugged on Kup’s hand.

            "Don't be rude, Whirl." He picked him up and brought him to the playroom where he set him down in the center. Rung followed behind and sat in a soft chair Kup had provided for him. "I'll be back in an hour." A final pat to the head and Kup turned to Rung. "I'll be around the house if you need me. Just shout if you need anything." They both nodded and Kup left, leaving the two of them alone.

            Whirl sat, optic half lit but clearly staring Rung down. He wasn't focused on his face, but those eyebrows. Those weird... weird eyebrows.

            "Well," Rung moved over to him and sat down in front of him, "my name is Rung. I'm sure Kup told you I would be coming to visit you today." Whirl didn't move or make a sound but instead just kept staring. "Do you want to see what I brought for you?" That seemed to get Whirl’s attention, as the little bot finally pulled his optics off the thick eyebrow plates and down to the box that was pushed in front of him.

            He pulled the paper off, seeing the distinct logo of a special block set. The cubes were thicker and stuck to one another, making it easier to build actual buildings. He made a soft chirr of approval before pulling the box open and instantly starting to stack and stick the blocks to one another.

            He ignored Rung as he started to stack and build something closer to him. He wasn't really interested in him or what he had to offer, all he had to do was wait out the hour and then Kup would come back and he could go back to his ritual of sitting on the windowsill.

            "How are you feeling?" Rung asked, watching Whirl’s claws zip about and grab block after block. He had heard from Kup that Whirl’s motor skills had drastically improved and it certainly showed. It was also clear that Whirl had been well taken care of since he was found as the medical report stated his claws were in bad shape. Now the welds had healed and he looked as healthy as possible.

             He pinched blocks and slapped them about, though once in awhile he would stop and admire his work before rearranging it. "Has Kup been nice to you? What about the others? Have they been nice?" No answers came, as Whirl continued to ignore him. "Do you have any favorite shows or foods?" Whirl was limited to certain foods but ever since living under Kup’s roof the gross medical grade vanished and much more delicious energons had taken its place.

            Still no answers and Rung leaned back on his hands, just watching Whirl. He had expected this, it wasn't uncommon for sparklings to be nervous. He didn't expect Whirl to tell him everything, and he didn't want to push him.

            He watched him for long time, at one point he reached into his subspace and pulled out a small container and shook it. An energon candy stick slipped free and he stuck it into his mouth.

            He smiled when Whirl looked up at him and to the candy he was holding. Ah yes, this could work.

            "Would you like one? They are very sweet!" And helped settled nerves, not that Whirl was anxious, just stubborn.

            A small nod and Whirl reached out for one, but whined when Rung pulled the case back.

            "A trade. Tell me how you feel about living here and I'll give you three sticks. Fair? Then we can play and I won't ask any more questions." He saw Whirl’s claw sink and his optic swirl in thought.

            "I-" He paused, seeing Rung move the sticks closer to him, "I like it. Kup is nice to me. So are the others. He gives me sweet energon sometimes at night when I don't feel good and even gave me an extra blanket." His optic glistened when Rung handed him the candies and he quickly dropped them into his intake port. "Mhm!~" Those were good.

            "That's wonderful." Continuing to build his little castle, he was pleased when Whirl moved closer to him and started to add blocks onto it.

            "I miss Prowl." Rung heard him mumble, but didn't ask about it. He hoped Whirl would go into it on his own but he fell quiet. That was until his optics caught Rung’s glasses and he was reaching up to pull them off of his face.

            He brought one lens in front of his optic, then the other. Looking through at Rung, he lowered it and stared at him.

            "When you leave... will you be coming back?" He leaned forwards, setting Rung’s glasses back on his nose, although crooked.

            "If you would like me too." Whirl suffered fear of abandonment, as it was quite clear, though reasonable. "I would like to come back and build with you more if you would like."

            Whirl pulled at his own claws, and Rung watched, taking a mental note about it. He waited for Whirl to look back up at him and nod.

            "Will you bring more candy?" He tilted his head when Rung laughed and nodded.

            "Yes, I will bring more candy and we can play and eat. How about next time I bring some cookies instead and we can talk more? Hmm? Sound fair?" Whirl shrugged, but it was good enough for Rung. "Good, let's build this as tall as we can and then knock it over."

 

* * *

 

 

Whirl stood on the tips of his peds, trying to see the top of the berth. He could barely make out the lump in the middle that made up Prowl’s frame, all he could really see were the large door wings that fluttered from time to time when Prowl shifted in his sleep.

            It had to have been a little past midnight, and Whirl had woken up alone on the sofa. A blanket was over him and he had a relatively soft pillow, but he was alone and he didn't like that.

            He found his way to Prowl’s room in an attempt to possibly sleep next to him or even close to him enough that he would keep him warm, as Whirl’s thin frame chilled easily.

            The berth was too high for him, and he couldn't grab at the covers and climb up with his talons bound together. He tried jumping, getting half way up but just slipping back down onto the floor.

            Several times he landed hard on his aft until the fourth attempt left him there. Tired, cranky, and frustrated, he started to sniffle. Thick globs of coolant spilled from under his optic lens onto the floor and he tried his best to wipe them away.

            "What are you doing?" Voice thick with sleep, Prowl was looking down at him from over the berth. He had one optics half open, still half asleep as he processed it was just Whirl causing a ruckus.

            Before Whirl could answer or scurry off, Prowl grabbed Whirl’s arm and hauled him up onto the berth. He dropped him by his back and rolled over, sighing. "Sleep." He said, his door wings settling.

            It was quiet for a few seconds before soft rustling could be heard and Prowl could feel something pulling on the blankets. It was followed by something warm close to his back and he just sighed.

            When he looked over his shoulder, he could see the faint glow of the yellow optic under the covers and watched it dim out as Whirl settled for sleep.

            "Thank Primus." Prowl huffed into his pillow before dozing off.

Kup held Whirl on his hip, waving to Rung as he left and made his way down the street. It had been a successful session with hope for more to come. In fact more did come. At least twice a week Rung would come and visit Whirl, sweets in hand as promised.

            Each new day Rung pulled more and more information from Whirl until he was a little chatter box. He talked and talked about how much he liked watching the shows on the holo-screen or how often he pinched Rodimus when no one was looking. Once in awhile he would mention Prowl and that he missed playing with the books on his shelves and that Kup had promised they could visit him by winter time when the holiday broke.

            He seemed happy, or at least getting happier. He interacted with the others more and more until they played together like they were never apart to start with. Whirl had also grown fond of Rung, getting excited when he came and jumping up and down in the windowsill to wave at him.

            If he was lucky Rung would take him out for ice cream or to play at the park, sometimes he would take the others with him as well and let Kup have the house to himself. All in all Whirl progressed, slowly, but he was happy with his new life.

            But this was just the start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throughout the story when the POV is Whirl, there will be flashbacks to the times he spent with Prowl. Though this Chapters ends Whirls Arc, his story will still be continued, but now among the other babes along with Visits from Rung.


	5. Christmas Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the Wrecker Babies Christmas Special, for the sake of having all the babes in the house, Drift has been included in this though he has not arrived in the house yet in the main plot (due to my lack of speed in getting his arc up) BUT it is coming soon.  
> For those who do not celebrate Christmas I wish you all a happy Hanukkah and A Happy Kwanzaa !! I wish you all the best for the new year to come~!

"You all have to sleep or he won't come and visit us tonight. You do want your presents don't you?" Kup tucked Springer in, smiling at that cute little pout. He had already let them stay up far past their usual bedtime just to watch some of the Christmas specials on the Holo screen. They had actually insisted they all stay up and watch them together, and Kup couldn't turn them down when they pulled puppy eyes on him. Springer in particular was really good at making his optics large and watery, melting Kups spark and he just had to sit with them and watch it all through.  

            He had made them all hot cups of cocoa with each filled with a different amount of marshmallows depending on which babe it was for. Rodimus loved his cup overflowing while Percy liked only a few and Drift preferred just a little bit of warm milk in his. 

            They had all gathered in a small bunch, watching the TV while Kup lounged back on the sofa. He sipped his own cocoa and watched them all, seeing Drift dozing off onto a fluffy pillow off to the side while the others remained wide awake. As the night went on, one by one they fell asleep until it was only Rodimus and Springer who remained awake, too excited to sleep. Not that he could blame them, as this was probably their first time ever getting a real Christmas to celebrate. Probably the first time they were guaranteed some sort of a gift, and it was something they didn't want to miss.

            In the earlier weeks when Kup had first brought home a tree to put up, he didn't have many decorations for it. Though that was easily solved when Rung had suggested to him one day over coffee to have the babes make their own. It would make the tree a significantly more personal for them and more fun for them to participate in. Not only that but Kup was sure they would love making a mess.

            And so the following days consisted of Kup buying blank ornaments and paints for the babes to decorate. It had been entertaining and a terrible idea at the same time. Paint was flung all over, little footprints were left from room to room as Rodimus and Blurr smeared it all over one another in some kind of war over who could get the other dirtier faster. Safe to say they both looked like a disaster when Kup caught them.

            Beside the usual destruction, Kup set the ornaments out to dry. Some were spotted, others had stripes and odd patterns. Whirls’ were just speckled as he couldn't hold a brush well enough so he just flung paint on them, not that he didn't enjoy it, he seemed to have the time of his life.

            Once dry, Kup attached little hooks to each one and handed them out to each babe to hang up. He kept them all hung on his servos, letting the babes pluck them off as they went, which was amusing to watch as they could only get so high on the tree, leaving most of the mid section and the top bare.

            "Looks fantastic!" Kup yanked some garland out of a box and snaked it around the tree before taking the plug for the lights and plugging it in. At first only the bottom row of lights lit up and it sort of matched the tree, but a quick shake of the cord and the rest of the tree lit up.

            "Kup," Drift pulled at Kup’s arm, "Can I put the star at the top?"

            "Of course you can." Kneeling down and fishing through the box a little more, Kup pulled out the crudely made Rodimus Star hand crafted by none other than their Rodimus.

            Handing it to Drift, he picked up the little babe and hauled him up high into the air and towards the trees top. He watched Drift place it and adjust it and then set him back down, Rodimus jumped up and down in the background, happy that his star was placed.

            Letting the babes take the tree in, Kup switched off the lights to give them the full effect and finally watched them play around it. It was nice to see them enjoying it, nice to see them talking about their decorations and what they might get as gifts. It made Kup’s spark flutter to see them so excited, and he couldn't help but pat each and every one of them on the head and help them hang their stockings next.

 

* * *

 

 

Now, the night before the big day, Kup was kissing each babe goodnight and telling them if they have been good they will get something special. With one final good night, he flicked a nightlight on in the corner of the room and left them all to sleep.

            It was too bad that Rodimus simply just couldn't. He laid on his back for hours, just staring up at the ceiling and pulling on his covers. Once in awhile he would look from side to side to see if anybody else was awake but he was the only one. Even Springer who he thought would have stayed awake was now sound asleep hugging his pillow.

            Getting too antsy, Rodimus kicked the covers back and slid out of his bed. He hung in the air a bit, not wanting to make too much noise when he dropped down as he didn't want to wake the others. Though once on the floor he tip-toed out rather quickly.

            Slinking down the hall, he peered around the corner to see if Kup was sleeping slumped in the lazy chair in the corner of the room that he sometimes occupied if he stayed up late. He felt a stroke of luck as the chair was empty and the room was all clear.

            For the most part, the house was dark except for the living room which was full of colored light. It was beautiful this late at night, and as Rodimus walked in, he stopped to stare at the tree a moment before noticing there was a plate of cookies set out on the end table.

            Earlier in the day Kup had insisted they make a treat for their gift bringer, as it would make him happy. Not only that but a glass of warm energon as well would be a good thing to set down.

            He remembered making them with Kup and the others, using special cookie cutters to shape animals and buildings. Kup had even let them frost them themselves, though Blurr and Springer did a good job of eating more then they put on the cookies.

            Tank suddenly growling, Rodimus put his hand on his stomach and gave it a small rub. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the doorway and hall were still empty and that he was very much alone still.

            Looking back to the plate of three perfectly placed cookies, he licked his lips and took a step closer. Surely only one gone wouldn't be bad. Didn't Santa have a lot of other homes to go to as well, that meant plenty of cookies for him. He wouldn't miss one.

            Picking up a cookie, Rodimus held it in his little hands and looked it over. It had little chocolate chips in it and was still kind of warm.

            He took a bite, munching on the treat and swallowing. He didn't even think when he took the energon glass and started to suck some of the liquid down until the glass was half empty.

            He set it down and then moved over to the sofa, hopping up onto it with cookie still in hand. With his free hand, he pulled the blanket that was so nicely folded on the top of the sofa down and wrapped it around himself. Continuing to munch on his cookie, he just watched the tree twinkle, his optics getting heavy after a while and his frame sagging.

            He laid down, tucking his small arms against his frame and closing his eyes, cookie by his chest as he dozed off.

            It hadn't been until an hour later that Kup came by to check on the babes to see if they were still sleeping to notice Rodimus' berth was empty. He wasn't surprised, and Rodimus was easy to find considering he was a little lump on the sofa when Kup walked in.

            He couldn't help but smile, seeing Rodimus snuggled against the fluffy pillow, cookie barely hanging out of one hand.

            Very gently, Kup scooped Rodimus up, blanket and all and held him close. He rocked him a bit, loving how Rodimus yawned and cuddled into his frame tiredly.

            Taking the half eaten cookie and putting it into his own mouth, Kup wrapped Rodimus up a little better in his blanket and carried him back to his room. He set him down on the berth and tucked him back in, stroking his little head and leaving.

            Munching down the cookie, Kup returned to the living room to take a few bites out of the remaining cookies and finish off the last of the energon before setting out the gifts.

            Tomorrow would be a good day.

 

* * *

 

 

"Wake up! Wake up!" Drift shook Perceptor on his berth. "It's morning!" He climbed up, jumping a bit until Perceptor sat up and rubbed his little optics. A small yawn, and then the sudden realization and he was up.

            The other babes followed quickly behind him, jumping from their berths.

            In the room not too far down the hall, Kup peeked an optics open, his audio picking up several little thumps and the sound of lots of little feet running down the hall. There was a loud thump, and he wondered who tripped but when his door was whipped open he tried to pretend to be asleep.

            "Kup! Wake up!" Blurr was first onto the berth, then Rodimus and Springer. Whirl stood by the side of Kup’s berth and clicked his claws loudly up in the air at him while Perceptor and Drift were last to climb up.

            They all jumped on him, giggling and pulling the covers up into one big mess. Rodimus jumped close to Kup’s shoulder, laughing hard when Kup snapped his optics open and swiped his little feet out from under him and made him fall back into the covers.

            "Just five more minutes!" He playfully rolled, pulling Springer down with him and hugging him as the little green babe flailed and laughed.

            "No!! You have to get up!" Rodimus was up again, pushing on Kup’s back to try and slide him off the berth except he wasn't moving him any time soon. "Please Kup!" Drift joined him in the pushing and Kup’s frame budged slightly.

            "Please!" Whirl pinched Kup’s blankets, tugging on them and pulling them across the room until they fell off the berth and there was nothing left but several jumping babes and Kup trying to pretend he was sleeping through it. He had let Springer go, and he crawled over to Kup’s legs and tried pushing them to the edge of the berth while the others worked on his top half.

            "Kup?" Percy knelt down by Kup’s head and put his little hands on his cheeks.

            "Yes, Percy?" Peeking one optic open, Kup was met with a sweet little face and pleading little optics.

            "Are you awake now?" A hoarse laugh and Kup wrapped an arm around Perceptor and hugged him while he sat up.

            "Yes, alright, I'm up. I'm up." As he got up, he kept Perceptor sitting on his arm. "Good morning everybody. Did we all sleep well?" He side glanced Rodimus who nodded like all the others. "Good, let me get some energon and then we can start, okay?" The babes jumped from the berth, landing hard on their little feet and scattering as quickly as they could to the living area.

            "Want some hot cocoa?" Kup asked Perceptor as he walked to the kitchen, getting a small nod in response.

            The kettle was heated and water poured into two cups, cocoa mix dumped into both before the hot water.

            "You can mix.” Kup leaned down so Percetor could reach the spoon and let him stir them. With his free hand Kup put more water into the kettle and let it simmer, knowing when the other impatient babes were done tearing through their gifts they would no doubt want some as well.

            Blowing Perceptor cup off, Kup handed it over to him and then picked up his own and headed to the living area.

            Already they had pulled their stockings down, but they all had waited patiently for Kup to arrive as they all sat in a small circle by the tree. Whirl couldn't pull his gaze off of the mountains of gifts that were flooding out from the bottom branches.

            Setting Perceptor down so he could join the others, Kup took his place on the sofa and leaned back.       

            "Okay, open your stockings, let me see what Santa brought for you." Sipping his cocoa, Kup watched them pull out the innards of their stockings. Lots of  sweets flooded out along with small toys. Though it was Rodimus Kup was really watching as the little red mech pulled out three rocks and a small note.

            He opened it and read it, his little face paling a bit as a crude drawing of him eating a cookie on it and a small note saying,

 

**_Those were my cookies - Santa._**

 

            "What's the matter Rodimus?" Kup said smugly, blowing on his cocoa to cool it off.

            "N-Nothing." Quickly stuffing the rocks back into his stocking, Rodimus laughed nervously and tried to play it cool. Though as he was stuffing his rocks back in he noticed there actually were still some candies buried at the bottom of the stocking and he wasn't completely left out.

            "Okay, pull some presents out and get tearing." Kup waved them forwards and watched the babes start grabbing boxes and passing them out to those whose names were on the tags.

            In seconds the paper was flying and bows were being tossed about and stuck to one another playfully.

            "WHOA!" Springer jumped up and down, in his hands he held the box to a huge nerf gun that Blurr was currently unwrapping. Together they screamed, while Perceptor shot up next and cheered.

            "A chemistry set!"

            "Oh yeah?" Kup leaned forward to get a look, seeing Perceptor pointing to the volcano on the box. "Kup! Look we can make a volcano! And I can mix stuff!" Sitting back down, Perceptor turned the box over to read the back.

            Pulling apart his paper, Drift pulled out two nerf swords, optics wide with wonder. He stood, holding them in each hand before making a quick pose and crouching low. He swung them, getting a feel for them and then running to Kup to show him.

            "Whoa! Look at those! You'll be a swordsman in no time!" Leaning to the side Kup could see Whirl hugging something large and red, not making a sound as he rocked back and forth. "Whirl? What did you get?" He waited for him to look up, those golden optic bright.

            "It's a big lobster stuffed animal." Standing up, he kept the lobster close against his chest, its tail dragging between his legs a he held it up to show Kup. "Wow! It's as big as you! Later we will have to take a picture and add it to your lobster book, how does that sound?"

            "Great!" Cuddling the plush lobster, Whirl dragged it over by the holo screen and sat himself down to watch morning cartoons.

            Last but not least, Rodimus unwrapped a few boxes that were labeled for him. He was a bit nervous about getting more rocks but his optics lit up at the sight of remote control cars. One of which look exactly like his own paint job.

            "Oh my gosh!" Rodimus smiled, pulling the box open and taking the little car out to show Kup. "Look! It's me!" He pulled out the controller next, flicking the switch on and setting the car down.

            It jolted to life and zipped around the room, hitting the edge of the couch only to back up and zip into another direction while Rodimus watched on in pure enjoyment.

            Percy unboxed his chemistry set, reading all the little books inside while Springer and Blurr loaded up their nerf guns with darts to then shoot them at one another. Drift tagged along with them and swiped his swords in the air to knock darts aside that were fired at him while Whirl sat quietly watching the holo screen with his lobster tight in hand.

            It wasn't until a few moments later that Perceptor got up crawled under the tree. Kup noticed the other babes stopped what they were doing and all stood up to gather around his knees.

            "Kup, we made you something. Rung helped us." Springer said as he waited for Perceptor to run over with something in his hands. "It's our gift to you. We couldn't buy anything since we don't have money and Rung suggested we make something."

            "So we did." Rodimus jumped in place as Perceptor handed over what looked like a big scroll.

            "Aw, you guys didn't have to make me anything." As Kup unrolled the paper, a knot caught in his intake at the image. Though crudely drawn and messy with paint and other mixed media, he could make out himself with all the babes around him holding hands and smiling.

            He looked it over for a long time, setting it down in his lap and taking a deep breath, his optics teary. He had to take a few more breaths to keep himself from becoming a blubbering fool.

            "I love you guys." Leaning forward and wrapping his arms around the bunch, Kup hugged them all and they hugged him back. Each babe smiling and kissing Kup’s cheeks while taking turns hugging him tightly. They climbed up onto the sofa next to him, all of them sitting and leaning against him.

            "We love you too Kup." Rodimus whispered, resting his head on Kup’s arm and looking to the tree, watching the lights twinkle.

 


	6. Drift's Arc

The thunder was dull in the distance but the rain still pounded down on the small house’s roof top. Every few minutes lightning would flash and illuminate the dimmed out living room where Kup sat back in a lazy chair reading a data pad. Perceptor was in his lap, casually watching TV while the others played on the floor below.

            Earlier, when the storm had first started to make its way over their area, Kup had noticed his babes starting to follow him around after the first crackle of thunder. Like a little herd, they clustered around his legs, Springer even grabbing his leg when a particularly loud snap of thunder rolled on by. Instead of getting what bit of work he needed to do around the home, Kup decided it would be best to just sit down and read while the babes played. At least this way they wouldn’t cluster around him and he was close by if they got too scared.

            Whirl was the only one who seemed to be really affected by the weather, as he hid himself under the sofa and only occasionally poked his head out from under the sofa to see if Kup was still in his chair. Once he knew he was he slid right back under and was for the most part pretty quiet. The rest of the babes played with whatever that had on the carpet, talking softly with one another. For the most part it was pretty peaceful, that was until thunderous wrapping was coming from the front door. It had been so loud it even startled Kup to the point he nearly dropped his data pad.

            “What was that?!” Springer quaked, looking to Kup who was standing and setting Perceptor down next to him.

            “It’s just someone knocking, nothing to be worried about.” Knocking very violently he might add but instead just gave Springer’s head a gentle pat and moved on his way.

            The banging didn’t stop, even as he grabbed the knob and pulled the door open a fist came down and nearly hit him.

            “Please! You have to help me!” A mech shrouded in a cape stood on the doorstep. Kup could only make out his mouth and nose and the faint glow of his optics. “You have to take him; I have no other place to go to. Please, I can’t protect him anymore!” The wind blew and the rain beat down harder, forcing the two of them to curl in on themselves. “You have to take him, please!” The mech shifted and his arms extended out from under his cloak, a large bundle in hand. He shoved it at Kup, who didn’t take it right away. He was all rather disoriented by this and wasn’t sure how to process it all.

            “Wait, what? Is someone after you? Come inside out of the rain!” He had to shout over the whipping wind, tensing as the rain beat down harshly against his frame. It was cold, and he tried to step out to the bot only for him to take a step back but keep the bundle extended to him.

“I’m sorry! Please, _please_! Tell him I loved him. Tell Drift I love him no matter what. Tell him I’m sorry. There is no other way.” Shoving the bundle into Kup’s arms, he had no choice but to take it as it would have fallen and hit the ground.

            “Wait!” The rain whipped against him again, forcing him to turn himself sideways to protect himself. When he came back around, the mech on the doorstep was gone and nothing but the dark street was left. “What the frag?” Kup whispered, looking left and right in hopes to catch the mech running off but the street was bare on both ends.

            A roll of thunder coaxed Kup back inside, leaning his back against the door to close it against the winds; he shook off his wet frame.

            In the distance, Perceptor was peeking around the corner, he had been watching the whole time. He waited for Kup to push himself back off the wall and stand straight before going out to him.

            “What happened?” Percy put his hand on the bottom of Kup’s leg, standing on the tips of his peds to try and see what he was holding. “What is it?”

            Kup didn’t answer him right away, not really sure what to tell him in fact as he unwrapped the cold and soggy blanket. It only took a moment for two little finials to pop through, and then a little face.

            “It’s a sparkling.” Kup’s face softened instantly at the sight. His spark sank when he unwrapped enough of the sparkling’s arms to see his little fists clenched and shaking. He must have been freezing on that rain soaked blanket, and to make it worse, his cheeks were a light tint of pink, indicating he might have a fever. “Percy,” Kup knelt down so Percy could see the sparkling in his arms, “I need you to go to the drier and get me the blanket that’s inside. Don’t worry if the cycle is still going just open the door and it will stop. Bring it to me, okay?”

            As Perceptor ran off, Kup stood back up and continued to unravel the blanket until the sparkling was free. Little fists were clenched, arms tucked close to its fame as it shivered in his arms. Instinctively, it pressed its freezing body against Kup in an attempt to get some form of warmth. What was worse was the fact the sparkling was making quick little pants, indicating it was having trouble breathing. It even coughed into Kup’s chest, whimpering when he shifted it a little too much.

            “I have it!” Perceptor raced in, the fresh blanket gathered up in his arms.

            “Thank you Percy.” Carefully, Kup started to wrap the babe up.

            “What’s his name?” Percy continued to hold a bit of the blanket as Kup wrapped, just watching him.

            “I think his name is Drift.” Kup made sure to keep Drift’s head slightly wrapped, just showing his little face and leaving enough room for his finials to stick out.

            “Drift?” Perceptor followed Kup as he walked back into the living area and sat down in his chair. He leaned back and kept Drift tucked tight to his chest, just watching his little face, frowning when he kept shivering. “Is he okay?”

            “I think he is sick.” Resting the backs of his servos against Drift’s forehead, he was silent. The little sparkling was burning up, and he pulled his hand away when Drift whined. Still, Drift hadn’t opened his eyes, just settling back against Kup when he stopped touching him.

            Drift’s little lips came apart as he took in shallow breaths, his little nose flaring as he fought to breathe. Kup had been careful not to wrap him too tightly, yet the sparkling still struggled. He fussed when it became too difficult to take a breath and coughed hard, his lower lip quivering as his tank flipped-flopped.

            “Shh, it’s alright. Shh.” Pulling the blanket open just enough to expose Drift’s chest, Kup used two servos to rub light circles against the plating. His worry had only increased, as he could just feel Drift struggling on each invent.

            “Mhm.” Drift’s hands popped out of the blanket, taking a hold of the sides of Kup’s hand. His grip was weak and his servos were like ice against his own warm hand.

            Setting Drift in his lap, Kup took both of Drift’s little hands and cupped them into his own hands. He leaned down and blew into the open hole above his thumbs in an attempt to try and warm Drift up, but still they remained like ice. He didn’t stop though, blowing a few more times and rubbing the little digits until he tucked them back under Drift’s blanket and wrapped him back up.

            He stood up, keeping Drift pressed tight to his frame and letting his little head rest on his shoulder as he carried him down the hall to his own bedroom. There he set Drift down on the bed and tucked him in with several more blankets and made sure he was as comfortable as possible.

            “Percy?” He turned, and Perceptor was right behind him. “Percy, can you stay right here and watch Drift a moment before I tuck the others in for the night?” Perceptor nodded right away and took his place by the side of the bed to watch over Drift as Kup went off to tend to the others.

            Returning only a few minutes later, Kup picked Perceptor up next and took him to his room quickly. As he laid Percy down, he noticed the look on his face.

            “Kup,” Percy stammered, “is Drift going to be okay?” He let Kup tuck him in and rest a hand on his head.

            “He just needs some medicine, nothing Ratchet cannot help with. You remember Ratchet right?” He watched Perceptor take a moment to think and then nod. “Good, I am going to call Ratchet, and he will get some medicine and Drift will be all better in no time.” Leaving Perceptor with a small kiss on the top of his head, Kup closed the door to his room and headed back to Drift. On the way he stopped in the kitchen to wet a towel with warm water before continuing on his way.

            Right where he had left him, Drift lay on his side now curled up in a ball. He hacked, his cough wet and heavy as Kup pulled a chair up so he could sit by the edge of the bed. From there he rubbed his back to try and help regulate some airflow but it didn’t seem to do much good.

            Opening a com link, Kup called Ratchet’s personal line, figuring it would be better than trying to call the clinic at such a late hour despite the fact it was open 24/7.

            “Ratchet.” Ratchet’s husky voice was heard.

            “It’s Kup. I have a sparkling here that I think really needs to be looked at. I wouldn’t call if it was just a cold but I’m worried.” Kup paused as Drift started to cough again and immediately he heard Ratchet grunt over the line.

            “I’ll be right there.” There was a soft click and then silence as the com dropped, and Kup just stayed by Drift’s side. Now and again he would hold his little hands and try to warm them up, still having no luck.

            “You’re going to be alright.” Taking the wet cloth he had, he gently dabbed it against Drift’s forehead which had gathered quite a bit of coolant as Drift had started a cold sweat. He wasn’t sure if Drift could even really hear him, but he kept talking to him, telling him he was safe and he would be warm and feeling better soon. All the while, Kup kept dabbing at his little cheeks, wiping away some of the grime left over. He wished he could give Drift a bath but the water might shock his frame. It was just best to wait for Ratchet to come and assess him before he did anything.

            A soft knock sounded on the door, and then the soft creak of it opening and closing came. Heavy footsteps were followed by Kup’s room door opening and Ratchet popping his head in. His frame was wet from the rain, but he had tried to wipe himself down by the front door the best he could as to not track too much water in the house.

            “Let me see him.” Ratchet took Kup’s place in the chair by the bed, and as much as he wanted to stop Ratchet from pulling the covers off of Drift’s frame, he had to. The cold air made Drift fuss more, his little legs kicking out and a loud whine escaping him.  “Shh.” Ratchet sat his palm down on Drift’s forehead, taking a moment to register his frame temperature. “He’s running hot. Too hot actually, he is boiling.” He withdrew his hand and moved his servos around Drift’s little frame, feeling his face and neck and checking all of his joints. As he bent one of         Drift’s arm, Drift whimpered and weakly tried to take his arm back. “Stiffness in the joints, swollen neck cables-” He forced one of Drift’s optics open, flashing a little light inside to see the optic rotate. “You wouldn’t happen to know how long he has been like this.”

            “No, someone just came by and gave him to me. Kept shouting about how they couldn’t protect him anymore and they couldn’t take care of him. I didn’t get a good look at them either; have no idea who it was.” It was unfortunate but the chances of it being a pleasure-mech who got knocked up seemed likely. “He was wrapped in a dirty blanket, it was soaking wet but I think it was because whoever was carrying him was in the rain.” Kup paused, seeing Ratchet lean down and press the side of his face to Drift’s chest, listening closely. He frowned as he heard the terrible struggle Drift was putting up just to take a single breath.

            “You were right to call me when you did. If what this looks like is what it is, I think he has pneumonia. Based off his current condition, he probably has had it for days without any kind of treatment. His breathing is restrained, and his systems are all backed up. This late in the stage can be fatal to sparklings of his age, which, I’m guessing here, about Springer’s age. Hard to say, if he was born in the gutter there won’t be record of him even existing.”

            “He could die? But you said it’s only been a few days!” Kup felt his tank twist, looking down at Drift whose lips were turning a light gray, his closed optics seemed sunken into his head.

            “Without treatment, he probably won’t last the week like this. This kind of thing is common in sparklings, it can be easily treated in good conditions and just require rest, but just look at him. His frame is far thinner than what it should be, suggesting malnourishment, which means his body doesn’t even have the energy to fight off what is attacking it. He is probably severely dehydrated, and look-” Ratchet pointed out a few dents and scuffs all over Drift’s frame. “These types of marks are not caused by general rough play, this is deliberate physical abuse. It looks to be like someone either struck him with something or whoever was holding him gripped him too tight. Wherever this sparkling came from, he is in better hands now.” Ratchet stood, picking Drift up with him and wrapping him up in a blanket. “I’m going to take him to the clinic. He needs fluids and antibiotics immediately, the sooner the better for him." When Ratchet turned, he was faced with a very worried Kup. "I'll take good care of him."        

            "I know you will, I just-" He rubbed his hands, looking down at Drift’s little face. Drift’s breathing had increased to soft little wet gasps, the tips of his finials just as red as his little cheeks.

            Setting his free hand down on Kup’s shoulder, Ratchet nodded to him to try and reassure him. Certainly it was a scary thing to be handed over a sparkling in the middle of the night by a stranger, even more so when it was handed over rather sickly.

            "I'll call you in the morning." With that, Ratchet walked past Kup and down the hall to the front door. There he opened it and shielded Drift from the rain until he transformed and Drift was safely inside of him.

 

* * *

 

 

Ratchet rushed into the clinic, Drift in hand as he placed him down on a nice warm berth and got right to work. First came a warm wash down, and then came the two IV bags full of antibiotics and fresh fluids.

            Ratchet pulled Drift’s little arm out from under the covers and spread his little hand out in his palm. He brushed his thumb over the top of Drift’s hand and looked at his face a moment. He was still unconscious, though he did whimper from time to time.

            Regardless, Ratchet gave a quick swab to the top of Drift’s hand and got the IV ready. Setting everything up, he, as carefully and as gently as he could, stuck it in. He paused, feeling Drift curl his servos into his palm and suddenly whimper louder. His little face scrunched up, and he tried to pull his hand back, but Ratchet had a good grip on him and taped down the shunt. Connecting the tubes, Ratchet got the drip flowing and watched it travel down the tube to vanish into Drift’s energon stream.

            "That should do it." Ratchet muttered, placing the hand with the IV on it on top of all the blankets and tucking Drift back in. "You should feel a little better once that get's going." setting his hand down on Drift’s forehead, Ratchet gently stroked up and down his little finials.

            It was sad, seeing sparklings abandoned so easily by their carriers to complete strangers who didn't even know if the system would treat them fairly. In fact foster cares were just as much of a death sentence to sparklings as it was living out on the street as most of the time they ended up back there when they were grown anyway. It was a cruel twist of fate, sparklings with terrible starts to life; at least with Kup around and taking in what he could they had some hope to make it. Now it was just a matter of time and hoping Drift had the strength to fight off the virus now that he was in proper care.

            Ratchet sat, stroking Drift’s cheeks and continuing to pet his head for a few hours until the horrible wheezing that Drift was emitting suddenly quieted and Drift took his first deep breath all night. It wasn't without effort, as when he got to the max capacity of air he could take in, he let out a wet cough which still sounded terrible, but it was progress.

            Standing, Ratchet turned to the control panel of the berth and entered a few numbers into the keypad. It would self heat and keep Drift extra warm, as he was still shivering. It should keep him warm enough that Ratchet could go to his desk and finish some paperwork for the night.

 

* * *

 

 

Drift’s optics clicked several times as they tried to reset and come online. It had been a lot more difficult than usual, and he felt strangely heavy. When he managed to get them on, his optics instantly squinted to the lights above him and he whined.

            Mouth and intake dry, he looked from side to side, optics only half lidded. Everything was foggy, and he couldn't keep his head up for more than a few seconds as his neck just couldn't support it.

            His hand itched, and he tried to bring it up to his face to look at it, having a hard time doing so as his arms felt like iron. Though when he did manage to get it close enough to his optics, he still couldn't quite focus on it enough to see the IV right away. It took a few blinks and a shake of his head to finally put the picture together and his spark started to race. Where was he? Why was he here? Why was this thing in his hand? It hurts, it hurts terribly.

            Panic came fast and so did the flood of tears as Drift’s free hand erupted from under the covers and grabbed the IV shunt. He let it go instantly as a terrible sting of pain radiated up his arm to his shoulder and he sobbed. He cupped his little hand over it, nursing it until he slid himself to the edge of the berth and tried to get down.

            The drop was higher than he thought, and as his peds hit the floor; his legs were far too weak to support his weight. His knees hit the tile hard enough to make a loud clang, and Ratchet perked up at his desk when the noise reached his audio.

            The second he rounded the corner and saw Drift on his hands and knees, he froze. Drift was staring at him, big blue optics as wide as they could get. His little finials were pinned back, his face colored with fear. Ratchet didn't even get a chance to move before Drift panicked and jerked to the side. The IV tube caught on his hand and the IV stand came down with a loud clang as Drift hurried to hide under the berth.

            Slowly, Ratchet moved over to the berth and got down on his haunches to look under, from there he saw to bright optics looking at him.

            "You're alright. You're safe here, I promise." He reached under, which was his first mistake as he got only about a foot under before Drift latched onto Ratchet’s hand and sank his fangs deep into the plating. "AH!" Ratchet snapped his hand back out from under the berth and waved it in the air. What a little devil, biting him like that. He should have expected it in all honesty, as Drift was scared and now cornered.

            Ratchet looked at his hand, sighing at the two little puncture wounds Drift’s fangs had left.

            "That was mean." Ratchet looked under the berth, seeing Drift holding the hand with the IV attached to it against his chest. It must have really hurt now that he had irritated it, and no doubt it was lodged out of place. "I'm a doctor; I'm trying to help you. You're very sick. You have to come out so I can help you, okay? Aren't you cold?" Drift was shaking, though now it was a mix of terror on top of his frame being exposed to the cold air.

            He tried fruitlessly to coax Drift out, but the sparkling wouldn't budge. Drift only sank lower to the floor when Ratchet got up and shuffled through a few drawers in the room. He returned to the side of the berth and sat down on the floor with his back against the wall. From then on he started to wrap his hand in a small bandage and just waited for Drift to come out on his own. He could have been mean and pulled on the IV line until Drift had no choice to come out by the sheer pain of his hand being pulled on but that was far too cruel for a sparkling. Adult bots who were wimps about IVs was one thing, but a cowering sparkling needed patience and care.

            Besides, not fifteen minutes had gone by since Drift took refuge under the bed did he start to crawl out from under it. The tile floor was freezing, and he himself was already cold enough, not to mention energon was dripping from his hand. He had watched Ratchet just sit there, waiting and not moving or even trying to reach for him again, in fact he had started to hum a soft little tune. What came next was a warm feeling over his frame as Ratchet had extended his EM field to wash over Drift and comfort him, trying to ease his nerves. It had worked to a point as Drift inched his way out from under the berth.

            Ratchet didn't move, watching Drift crawl out and inch towards him until he pushed himself between Ratchet’s legs and climbed into his lap. From there he curled up into a little ball, still holding his hurting hand and hiccupping. Tears and snot rolled down his face, finials pinned all the way down in a submissive manner. He trembled, whimpering as Ratchet wrapped his arms around him and just rocked with him a while.

            "That's it. You're alright. See? You're alright." Voice soft, Ratchet stroked Drift’s damp cheek. "You're safe. Nobody is going to hurt you." Keeping Drift in one arm, Ratchet stood up and picked the IV stand up with him.  

            He set Drift down on the bed, getting a cloth to wipe down his face with before taking his little hand and looking at the IV. Drift tried to pull away but Ratchet squeezed his hand.

            "It hurts." Voice terribly horse, Drift arm started shaking as Ratchet pulled the tape off.

            "I know it does, I'm going to fix it. Just hold still. Just be brave for a moment, okay? I'll make it all better." Luckily it wasn't too bad and Drift had just irritated it and pulled it out only a little bit. With a slight adjustment and some new tape it was good as new.

            "I don't... _hic_...want... _hic_... it." Drift spoke in quick little gasps, hyperventilating as he tried to keep himself from crying more than he already was.

            "I know, but it will help you feel better. I promise I will take it out as soon as your fever breaks." He fluffed Drift’s pillow so he could lean back against it and then tucked Drift in at the waist. "Are you hungry? You have been out for a long time." He knew Drift had to at least be thirsty, and so far Drift hadn't purged but that could have been due to the fact his tank has been empty and there was nothing for him to throw up. Regardless, he did need to eat something, even if it was small. "I'm going to make you something, okay? It's okay if you don't eat it all but some food should settle your tank a bit. I'll be back in a minute." Giving Drift’s head a gentle pat, Ratchet left the room quickly and came back with a bowl in his hands.

            Sitting by Drift’s bedside, Ratchet picked the spoon up and blew on the liquid in it. It was simply just a bowl of warm broth, as it should be gentle on Drift’s stomach.

            As Ratchet moved the spoon close to Drift’s mouth, Drift hesitated before opening and allowing Ratchet to feed him. He blinked in surprise at how well it tasted, and how it sent a wave of warmth over his frame. Not to mention when he swallowed the warmth eased his achy throat.

            After the second spoonful, Drift started to lean towards Ratchet, mouth open like a baby bird for more and more. Ratchet kept feeding him until he noticed Drift’s optics focus on his hand with the bandage on it, which was the hand Ratchet was feeding him with. His optics suddenly flooded with coolant. Sniffling, swallowing the broth and took another spoonful, tears streaming down his cheeks.

            "It's alright." Setting the bowl down, Ratchet used this thumbs to rub away the tears. "Don't cry. It's alright." He could hear little noises coming from Drift as he tried to hold in his sob. His lower lip was quivering so hard he had bit into it.

            Ratchet sat with Drift for a while, rubbing his tears away again and again until Drift tired out and sagged on the bed. As Ratchet tucked him in again and stood up, Drift caught his hand.

            "Don't leave... me." He wheezed, his little hand holding into one of Ratchet’s servos. "Please don't leave me."

            Taking a deep breath, Ratchet sighed and nodded.

            "Alright, I'll stay." When Drift let him go, Ratchet got one of the comfy rocking chairs and dragged it into Drift’s room. From there he scooped Drift up out of the berth and wrapped the blanket around him and was careful about his hand.

            Sitting Ratchet held Drift close, letting him suck the warmth off of his frame while he rocked slowly back and forth with him. He watched Drift’s optics sag, lulled by the soft purr of Ratchet’s internal components. Falling asleep, Ratchet kept rocking him, leaning down and nuzzling him once in awhile. He bounced Drift a bit when he started a coughing fit; rubbing his back and sitting him up a bit to help clear his airway so he could settle back down.

            It was a relief that Drift had woken up, while Ratchet had examined him earlier in the day with Kup, he didn't want to mention how bad it really was. Despite Kup being an outstanding foster carrier, he still was a novice at handling serious situations like this and would have panicked further, which wouldn't have been good for the other babes under his care. It was better to remove Drift from the house and care for him overnight the best he could so hopefully Ratchet had some good news in the morning for Kup. It seemed he already had some, as Drift had woken up and eaten a bit, hopefully his fever would break by the next day and Ratchet could switch him to actual liquid medication rather than the IV drip.

            Once Drift’s fever broke all he would need is proper love and affection. Ratchet had tossed around the idea of contacting Prowl in hopes they might be able to pinpoint who dropped Drift off but it probably wasn't worth it if what Kup said was true. If whoever dropped him off was being targeted it would put Drift in danger, he was much safer being hidden and anonymous in the clinic and in Kup’s home.           

            Still, it was a long road to recovery, and right now Ratchet just wanted to focus on keeping the bundle in his arms warm and safe, and by the way Drift had his little servos dug into a seam in Ratchet’s plating, he knew he felt safe. Sparklings often latched onto carriers or figures that felt attached to when they slept to help feel safe. If Ratchet had tried to remove Drift’s hand from his seam Drift would wake up to see if Ratchet was leaving him.

            Sinking in the chair, Ratchet just watched Drift’s little face, feeling tired himself.

            It was going to be a long night.


	7. Drifts Arc

Drift’s wheezing had died down by the early morning, leaving him to take deep quiet breaths in Ratchet’s arms. He must have felt better as his little face was more relaxed now, at peace even and his little servos that he had buried inside of Ratchet’s seams had slipped free. As Ratchet rocked with him, Drift kept his little hands on his own chest, head resting against Ratchet’s chest plate.  Every once in awhile he would shift and a little wheeze would escape but for the most part the medication had gotten him out of the woods. Now it was just a matter of some tender, loving care and Drift would be as good as new.

            Ratchet yawned, stroking his thumb across Drift’s still pink cheek a moment before he let the back of his hand come to rest on Drift’s forehead. It only took a moment for him to calculate Drift’s core temperature, which had dropped in the last few hours. Not as much as he had hoped, but it was better than nothing.

            Slowly, Ratchet stood up from his chair and walked with Drift back over to the medical berth. Gently he set Drift down and took his little hand with the IV in it into his own. With the fever drop and Drift's face having some color returning to it, the IV wouldn't be necessary anymore unless his temperature spiked again. He hoped it wouldn't, as the poor little thing had suffered enough for one night.

            Removing the shunt and placing a small bandage on the top of Drift's hand, Ratchet took a deep breath. He spread Drift's small little servos in his hand, adoring them for only a moment before tucking Drift's hand back with his other and pulling the covers over him.

            Pressing a few buttons on the berth’s control panel, the blankets started to warm up and the rails rose from the sides to keep Drift from rolling off if he moved.

            Standing by the berth side, Ratchet gave one of Drift's small finials a few gentle rubs before he headed to the door. Dimming the lights, Ratchet stood a moment in the doorway to give Drift one last glance.

 

* * *

 

 

Perceptor scratched his crayon across his paper vigorously, not looking up as Kup paced back and forth through the house. He would stop from time to time and rub the back of his neck, sick with worry. Only when his com pinged to life with a message from Ratchet did he jump back to life.

            _Drift's fever has dropped and he is doing much better. With a little more care tonight you should be able to pick him up and take him home tomorrow morning._

            Kup smiled and closed the message, relief washing over him as Drift made it just in time. Now all he could do was wait until morning to get Drift and perhaps message Rung asking if he could watch the other babes while he went. Drift may have been well enough to take home but he was still going to be sick and crowding him probably wouldn't be the best until he could warm up to the others on his own.

            With a deep sigh, Kup looked at Perceptor who was lying on his belly, a pillow under his chest to keep him elevated so he could draw. He was surprised he was still up as it had already been quite late into the night.

            "Percy, what are you up to?" Sitting himself down and criss-crossing his legs, Kup hunched over and watched the little bot draw. He could make out a few shapes and colors of what he could only imagine were the other babes in the house.

            "I'm making Drift a drawing. I want to give it to him when he comes home to help him feel better. Do you think it will make him feel better?" He pulled the paper out so Kup could see it better. "This is Whirl, Rodimus, Springer-" Perceptor pointed around until a spot of missing color caught his eye and he picked his crayon back up to fill it in, "and this is me." He points out himself next to a slightly unfinished body, which he assumed was Drift. "See, I even drew you here, in the house." Inside of the square, Kup’s head could be seen in the window.

            "I think it will make him feel much better." He continued to watch Perceptor fill in some of the sky. "Tomorrow he will be coming home."

            "Can I go with you when you go get him?" Perceptor looked up, big blue optics glistening. "Please, I want to give it to him." The puppy eyes only grew stronger until Kup picked Perceptor up and pulled him into his lap for a quick cuddle. It wouldn't hurt to bring him, plus it might make Drift more comfortable to leave with him if Percy was there to show he was harmless. Drift hadn't really had the proper chance to meet Kup and the others yet so he expected Drift to be timid.

            "I don't see why not, plus you worked hard on this I think it would be even better hand delivered." Picking up the drawing, Kup stood with Perceptor balancing on one hip, "-but it's late, and you need to get some sleep." Kissing the side of Perceptor’s head as he walked to his room, Kup slowly opened the door and entered.

            The small holo screen on the far side of the room was still on, volume low as the pictures flashed across the screen to illuminate the room. Several little berths lined the walls with one little lump on each. Springer and Whirl were already tucked under their covers while Rodimus lay curled up in a ball at the foot of his berth. No doubt he had fallen asleep trying to watch a show and didn't make it to the end.

            Creeping to Perceptor’s berth, Kup carefully laid Perceptor down and pulled the blankets over him to tuck him in. Another small kiss to the top of his head and Kup turned to look at the berth next to Perceptor’s, which was not quite fully built yet. Hopefully he could finish it so Drift would have a nice warm berth of his own to come home too.  

            Heading to Rodimus' berth next, Kup set a hand down on his little back and slowly rubbed up and down. That cute little spoiler twitched and Rodimus stirred, yawning and settling again.

            "Come on Roddy, let's get you tucked in right." Whispering, Kup picked Rodimus up and tucked him in right, kissing him in the head and making his rounds around the room to do the same to the others and make sure everything was all set before leaving them all to rest.

 

* * *

 

 

Optics coming to life, Drift shifted on his berth and stretched out his little legs under the covers. A long yawn followed and he rolled over, cuddling into his pillow and just enjoying the fact he was warm. It had taken him a few minutes to process that he was no longer in Ratchet’s arms, and upon realization shot up on the berth.

            The chair that Ratchet had occupied next to his berth was empty so was the rest of the room, leaving Drift all alone.

            “Ratchet?” Voice soft, Drift looked around a little more, trying to see if maybe Ratchet had just been around the corner or something, but no. When he tried calling out a second time, still with no answer, he panicked.

            Yanking the covers back, Drift grabbed onto the berths railing and did his best to climb over it. Unfortunately the berth was pretty high off the ground and when he let go, he landed hard on his little aft.

            Sitting there a moment to collect himself and rub his back, he started to sniffle, the urge to cry building up behind his nose and causing a small knot to form in his intake. Aside from the rough drop, he noticed his little hand had hurt as well and finally noticed the IV line was gone and in its place a small white bandage.

            Nursing it, Drift stood himself up on still weak legs and made his way to the door to the room. He counted himself lucky that the door was slightly ajar, making the issue of having to reach the door knob irrelevant.

            Pulling it open only enough to poke his head out, Drift looked back and forth in the barren hall.  It was quiet, far too quiet and it only increased Drift's fears of being left alone. What if Ratchet had abandoned him, what if he had caused too much trouble last night and Ratchet didn’t want to deal with him anymore.

            Thick tears well against Drift's optics as he pulled the door open all the way and stood in the middle of the hall. He turned full circle and sniffled, not sure which way to go or where to look.

            “Ratchet!” He sobbed out; spark pounding in fear at the thought of being abandoned again. “Ratchet! Ratchet!”

            Behind him, Ratchet came rushing around the corner, nearly knocking over a bench of tools in the process.

            “I’m here! I’m here.” When Drift turned around to face him, his spark sank at how upset Drift was. His finials were low and his cheeks soaked with tears as he threw up his arms at Ratchet, wanting to be held. Ratchet didn’t hesitate, getting down on his knees and picking Drift up into his arms to quickly cuddle him and comfort him. “Shh, it’s alright, I’m here. I’m here.” Standing up, Ratchet rubbed Drift's back soothingly to try and get his sobs to calm down. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

            Drift cried into the crook of Ratchet’s neck for a few minutes, his little hands clamped down on the doctor’s armor as he didn’t want to let him go. It took a few soft words and Ratchet continuing to rub his back to get him to calm down enough to talk.

            “I thought… _hic_ … I thought you left me.” Rubbing his eyes with little fists, Drift let his head come to rest on Ratchet’s shoulder.

            “No, I’m here. I’m right here.” He hadn’t expected Drift to wake up so early, he had planned to be right by his side with some breakfast but Drift was about an hour too early. The last thing he had wanted was for Drift to feel like he had abandoned him. "Come on; let's get you back to bed." The hall was chilly and he didn't want Drift's cold to sneak back up on him, best to get him back to bed where it was warm.

            "Here we go-" Ratchet had said as he tried to remove Drift from his frame but found the little sparkling was holding on for dear life. He heard Drift whimper and felt him cuddle against him even harder.

            "I don't want you to leave. I want to stay with you." His voice was so small, begging even. When Ratchet didn't say anything right away he could hear Drift start to cry again against him.

            "Don't cry, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here with you, okay?" He pulled on Drift again and thankfully Drift let his frame go and allowed Ratchet to set him on the berth. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you some more soup or does your belly still hurt?"  Pulling up the covers around Drift, Ratchet wrapped him up like a little burrito and pat his head.

            "I'm tired." Falling over on his side and letting his head hit the pillow, Drift watched Ratchet closely. "I just don't want you to leave me alone." His lower lip quivered until Ratchet was there to give one of his small finials a gentle rub.

            "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to just grab some stuff off my desk so I can work and I'll sit right here next to you. If you fall asleep again, when you wake up your new family might be here to take you home."

            "Home?"

            "Yes, home. A place you will be much happier with others just like you. Don't you want to have others to play with?" Had Drift even ever had others to play with? That was the daunting question Ratchet wasn't sure he wanted answered, all that really mattered was Drift was going to have a far better life under Kup's roof than where he had been before. How anybody could raise a hand to such a sweet sparkling like Drift, he didn't know.

            "Will you be there?" Ratchet’s spark sank a bit as he had gotten up and gotten his patent records to fill out.

            "Sometimes, not always, but I will always be here for you."  Sitting by Drift once more, Ratchet gave one of his finials a little rub before opening his patient records and getting right to work. For the most part Drift had been quiet, and Ratchet wasn't sure if he had upset him or of Drift was just watching him work but when the house passed he had been knocked out cold.

 

* * *

 

 

Two hours had passed before Ratchet had heard the front door to the clinic hiss open. Drift had still been asleep on his side facing Ratchet when the noise stirred him and he yawned.

            "Ratch-" Tone groggy, a warm hand came to rest on his head.

            "Right here, I'm just going to run around the corner and see who's here, okay?" He was glad Drift didn't fuss about it and settled back down, little optics heavy.

            Heading into the main foyer, Ratchet smiled when he was greeted by the sight of Kup and Perceptor. Little Perceptor was standing right by Kup’s side and holding his hand. In his free hand he held what looked like a rolled up piece of paper.

            "Good morning." Ratchet clasped hands with Kup and they shook.

            "How is he?" Kup let go of Perceptor’s hand, letting him wander around the main hall.

            "Much better, he still has a bit of a fever but I have some medicine I'm going to give you to give that should knock the last of this virus out of his system in the next few days. You will want to give it to him about an hour before you lay him down to sleep as it will make him tired. It doesn't have the best taste to it so expect resistance after the first dose. He also hasn't eaten yet this morning so he will probably be hungry when he comes around later today. Also he could still really use a bath, I did a quick wipe down when he first arrived but a bath at home would do him much better." Ratchet continued to chat with Kup, leaving Perceptor to tiptoe down the hall and peek into each room until he saw two familiar finials poking up from one of the beds.

            Roaming inside, Perceptor stood by the edge of the bed and looked up as it was a little too tall for him to see Drift properly. That probably was easily solved when he pulled the chair Ratchet had been sitting in as close to the bed as possible and climbed up into it.

            "Hi!" Perceptor locked optics with Drift who was stirred awake by the squeaking of the chair moving across the floor. "I'm Perceptor, you can call me Percy." Quickly the little red bot took the paper that was in his hand and spread it out on a flat part of the bed and showed Drift. "I want you to feel better so I made you this."

            Drift looked from Perceptor’s face down at the drawing of all the babes and Kup. He blinked in surprise and picked it up, looking it over.

            "You made this for me?" He watched Perceptor smile and nod.

            "See, it's all of the others back home, Kup, you, and me all here!" He pointed out each one and started to name everybody off. "It's really fun at home," Perceptor sat back against the chair, "Kup makes us cookies, watches movies with us, and tells us stories. He buys us toys and makes really good dinners and breakfast."

            Drift just kept looking at the drawing while Perceptor droned on and on. It all seemed too good to be true for him. Toys? Food? Love and affection? It didn't seem likely, not with the _love and affection_ he had come from.

            "There you are." Kup and Ratchet both entered the room, Ratchet standing by the foot of Drift's bed while Kup walked around close to Perceptor and smiled at Drift. "We were so worried about you."

            Drift just looked up at him and then over to Ratchet who nodded to him that it was alright. He may have started with Kup but had little memory of the initial night he was dropped off with him. He wasn't sure what to say, just shrugging at Kup shyly.

            "How would you like to come home and meet the others? They are all excited to meet you." Another shy shrug and Kup pet Drift's head. In truth he really didn't want to leave Ratchet’s side. Ratchet had been nice to him, fed, him and stayed with him when he was scared. What if this big green guy didn't do any of that, what if he was just being tossed to another house with mean care takers?

            That couldn't have been true as Perceptor was sitting right next to him, all smiles. If what he said was true he had nothing to worry about. If anything he had a lot to look forwards to.

            "I'll let you say goodbye to Ratchet and then we can go home, okay?" Kup’s voice was soft, comforting as he didn't expect any of this to have been easy for the little babe. "Come on Percy, let's give them a moment." Taking Perceptor’s hand, Kup helped him out of the chair and left the room to wait in the main lobby.

            Thick globby tears welled by the corners of Drift's optics, and a loud hiccup escaped him the moment Kup and Perceptor left. He tried so desperate to hold it in but when Ratchet came over and brushed the tears away he lost it.  

            "Shh, it's alright. You're going to be alright. Kup will take good care of you; I will make sure of it." He kept brushing Drift's tears away until finally Drift calmed down and showed him the picture. "Oh, what's this?"

            "P-Percy drew it for me. He said Kup will make us cookies." Using his hand to wipe under his nose, Drift cleared his intake which was still rather phlegm-y from his illness. He kept sniffling even as Ratchet took his little hand that had the bandage from the IV on it and unbound it. There had been a small pink stain on the bandage where the puncture wound had bled a bit when the IV was removed and Ratchet got right to work cleaning it and rewrapping it. He had already told Kup it would be safe to take off and leave off when he got home. "I'm scared."

            "I know you are." Poor sweet thing, Ratchet had thought as he finished wrapping and left a little 'boo-boo kiss' on the top of Drift's hand. "I know it's scary, I know it will be hard to adjust sometimes but I think you can do it. I know you are strong." Putting his hands under Drift's little pits, Ratchet lifted him off the bed and set him on his hip. "First, I need you to get back to 100%, and when you feel better you tell Kup that you want to call me so we can go get some ice cream, how about that? Does that sound good?" The smiled on Drift's face told him all he needed to know.

            Entering the main hall, Ratchet met Kup and handed Drift off, who had at first not let Ratchet go before he hugged him as tight as his little arms could manage. When finally handed off and in Kup’s arms, Drift let his head rest on his shoulder. He dug his little servos into Kup’s armor seams and sniffled as they all bid farewells to one another. As Kup turned and walked out of the sliding doors, Ratchet watched Drift extend a little hand and wave to him.

 

* * *

 

 

Upon arriving home, Kup set Drift down in the playroom to meet the others who had been excited from the start to meet Drift. Kup had to warn them not to swarm Drift and give him some space to adjust as he probably would be nervous and hasn't ever really socialized with anyone but his previous owners. Ratchet had suggested that Rung speak with Drift a few times and Kup had agreed but for now Kup just wanted Drift to unwind without being pried into and settle into his new home. He had expected Drift to be hesitant, but when he first set him down Drift immediately followed Kup into the next room as he wasn't sure what to do. Nothing Perceptor and Rodimus hadn't come together to fix. Together they took Drift into the playroom where they showed him all sorts of toys he could play with whenever he wanted and all sorts of movies they would get to watch together on nights Kup would sit on the couch and let them cuddle into him.

            It was some weird dream come true, as the more they told Drift about the things they would get to do, the more he came around and started to play with the others. Relatively, he was pretty quiet until dinner time.

            Perceptor led Drift by hand into the kitchen and pulled out a chair for him to sit.

            "You can sit next to me!" He climbed into his own chair and waited patiently for Kup who was by the stove making plates for each of them.

            One by one, Kup set down plates in front of each of the babes, starting with Springer and working his way down the table. He hadn't noticed Drift getting progressively more and more nervous when a plate was set down in front of everybody except him.

            His little tang growled and when Kup put a plate in front of Perceptor and then went back to the stove to retrieve the last plate for Drift. When he set it down in front of Drift he saw the little sparkling’s optics light up.

            He had never seen so much food before, in fact there was a lot more on Drift's plate than any of the others who had gotten one. He found it strange that none of the other babes seemed to be upset by this that they got smaller portions than he did.

            In truth it was Kup just over filling Drift's plate in an attempt to get him to eat as much as possible. He had plenty more food to give him if he did manage to eat it all but it was just better to give Drift a large amount.

            Sitting down himself, Kup started to eat right along with the others who started to chat between themselves.                 

            Drift didn't bother talking, instead he shoveled food into his mouth in an animal like fashion until Rodimus took notice and touched his arm.

            The response Drift gave Rodimus startled him as a feral growl escaped his little throat and he slammed his arm down between them, protecting his plate as if he thought Rodimus was going to steal from it. His finials were down and he kept growling until Rodimus leaned away and gave Drift his space.

            Kup had taken notice immediately; he should have known Drift would be territorial with food. It sort of broke his spark in a way to see Drift hunched over, nearly choking himself to get as much food down as he could.

            When the others had finished and stacked their plates on the counter to be washed, Drift was the only one left at the table, trying his best to get every little thing on the plate down. If Kup had to imagine, Drift probably thought this was all he was going to get for a while. In reality all Drift had to do was tell Kup he was hungry and he would get anything he wanted, but Drift didn't know that yet.

            "Drift." Kup pulled out the chair next to the little sparkling and sat close to him. "You know it's okay if you can't finish it all. You're going to make yourself sick if you force more than your tank can take down." As he spoke he watched Drift's little hand shaking with each new spoonful he put into his mouth. His tank already did hurt, overfilled yet desperate for more. "You don't have to worry about going hungry here; you can have as much as you want later if you are hungry again."  He was relieved when Drift sat back from the plate and set his spoon down, but he asked before taking the plate. "Can I have this?" When Drift nodded he took the plate and headed to the sink where he had all the others under water to soak. "Do you want to help me dry the dishes?" Finials perking up, Drift hopped down from his chair and made his way over to Kup who handed him a dish rag. "Okay, I am going to give you the plates I wash and you can dry them okay? Just set them down on the table in a nice stack when you are done drying them." When Drift nodded in response, he got right to work washing and handing off plates.

            Happily, Drift rubbed the rag around them, doing his best to dry them off and put one by one on the table. It had actually been pretty fun and Kup had waited for him to finish plate before handing him another so he wouldn't feel rushed.

            It had all been going fine and well until the next plate Drift had in his hands slipped from his little servos and shattered all over the floor. The noise had startled him and he jumped, immediately looking up to Kup who turned to face him.

            Spark shattering, Kup watched Drift turn and flinch, almost as if he had expected to be hit. He held the rag close to his chest and kept his finials pinned down in submission, not looking up at Kup now.

            "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drop it, it slipped, I'm sorry." He cowered, just waiting for a punishment Kup wasn't going to give.          

            Kneeling down, Kup started to pick up the pieces.

            "It's alright; it's just a plate, nothing that cannot be replaced. Let's just clean this up so nobody cuts themselves in it." He kept cleaning, just waiting for Drift to uncurl himself and relax. Drift let his finials remain down, a sign to Kup he was still afraid but perked up when he felt Kup set a hand on his head and rub.

            Putting the plates away, Kup shuffled around with a few things on the counter. He went through a little brown bag and looked over a brown bottle. It was the medication Ratchet had given him for Drift. He figured after he gets Drift his dose, a tub and then bed would be good for him, it had been a long day.

            "Alright Drift, Ratchet says this will help you feel better." He picked Drift up and sat him in a chair while getting a spoon and filling it with the syrup like red liquid. "Open." He was pleased Drift responded and opened for him, making it easier to tilt the spoon into his mouth and deposited the medication. Almost instantly Drift's face scrunched and he had a hard time swallowing the foul tasting liquid but he managed. He shook his head and accepted the glass of energon Kup gave him to wash it down. "Good boy." Picking Drift up again and setting him on his hip, he made his way to the washroom. He set Drift down and pulled out a basket from a closet full of toys for the water and let Drift sift through them for the ones he wanted while he filled the tub.

            When the water was high enough and warm enough, Kup picked Drift up and slowly set him down inside.

            "Feel good?" Drift's plating expanded, accepting the warm water against his protoform. It did feel nice, it felt really nice actually and he even sank a bit in the water. "Here you go." Kup put the toys Drift had picked in with him and let him play while retrieving a wash cloth.  

            Adding some solvents and rubbing the rag together to create some suds, Kup started to gently wash Drift's little frame. He was gentle, especially around the areas of his frame that had not quite healed yet. Ratchet had done all he could to repair the smaller dents, but the deeper ones would pop out on their own with time. For the scuffs in his paint, Drift would need a new paint job all together, something Kup would have done when Drift had warmed up to the house a little more and was feeling 100%.

            Drift splashed and played with his little boats, not fussing with Kup at all while he washed his arms, finials, and back. He made a small noise of discomfort when Kup removed a large bit of debris from his back seam but once removed Drift let out a happy sigh as the pressure was gone.

            When Kup had finished, the clear water he had set Drift in was now a murky gray-brown, but Drift was shimmering.

            Kneeling down, Kup tossed as towel over Drift's head and ruffled it around his little body. He kept ruffling and even tickled Drift a bit until he heard him giggle under the towel.

            "There we go, all nice and clean." Pulling the towel off, Kup smiled at Drift who looked much better now. The only thing he noticed was Drift's optics seemed to be growing heavy and he looked tired. Must have been the medicine, Ratchet did say it would make him tired. "Come on, let's go sit with the others and put a movie on, how does that sound?"

            "Good." Drift was happy when he was picked up and rested against Kup’s chest, he was warm and comfy to lie against. Kup’s EM field was washing over him as they walked down the hall; it was warm and comforting, making him groggier.

            Getting a blanket, Kup wrapped Drift in it and sat himself in his lazy chair, already the others babes had put something on the TV and where all gathered in the middle of the living area to watch.

            Leaning back, Kup started to rock in the chair with Drift in his arms. He held Drift tightly, stroking his cheek with his thumb from time to time as he watched Drift's optics flicker and dim. Kup’s warmth and the rocking motion lulled him right to sleep there in his arms.     


	8. Rodimus Arc

He watched Drift pat the top of their sandcastle, his own little hands on the top of it, but not moving. Rodimus' attention was placed elsewhere, over Drift’s shoulder to where a bot was pushing a smaller one on the swing.

        They looked almost identical; no doubt the larger one pushing the sparkling was its Carrier, or perhaps its sire. The only thing that set the two apart was the mismatched paint jobs, and even then they were close. The larger mech was a deep blue with lighter blue highlights. The sparkling was a much lighter color, but it was still obvious they were made up of the same coding.

        "Roddy-" Drift was patting the top of a new bucket when Rodimus looked away from the family and back down at Drift. "Keep patting or it will fall apart." He picked his bucket up, growling when his sandcastle crumbled at the top.

        While Drift was repairing his new castle, Rodimus tried to keep up his patting of the one they had successfully constructed. He was focused for only a few moments, as the family in front of him caught his attention once more.

        The smaller mech was giggling, and for a moment the larger mech stopped the swing to give their sparkling a quick cuddle before continuing. It was nice, it was really nice and he wanted something like that, more than anything.  

        A few swings down, Kup was also pushing Perceptor and Springer on a swing. Springer kicked out his legs to try and get as high as he could while Perceptor was rather content with the docile pushes he propelled him with.  Except none of that seemed to catch Rodimus' attention, instead he just watched the blue bots.

        _Would my Carrier have pushed me on the swing? Why didn't they want me? Was something wrong with me?_

Rodimus was aware Kup wasn't his Carrier, like all the others in the house, only Drift had been actually dropped off by a potential code sharer. Everybody else had either been brought in by a foster home too full, or Kup happened to find while out on the street. Rodimus had been a street case, left in a box barely out of his protoform stage, he was found by Kup who took him in. Of course he didn't remember any of that, but he did always feel a weird sense of not belonging. For weeks after Drift had arrived he had wondered if his Carriers had dropped him off like that. Were they worried like Drift’s had been? Or had they just handed him over and not cared what happened to him. It had all started to bother him progressively more and really irritated him when Rodimus recognized Carriers with their biological sparklings at stores or at the park.

        _Wouldn't they want to see me now? Take me back? I'm good enough now, aren't I?_

Looking down, Rodimus watched Drift carefully sculpting the top of his castle. He seemed  content with living with Kup. It didn't seem to bother him that he was given away.

        "Drift, do you ever miss your Carrier?" Drift looked up at Rodimus only a second, his finials drooping down as he immediately looked down and kept working. "Do you know who your sire is? Do you ever want to go and find them?"

        "Why would I want to do that?" Drift’s finials drooped down, his little hands drawing circles in the sand. It was well known among the babes that Drift didn't like talking about his home life before Kup, he even struggled to talk with Rung about it.

        "Don't you want to know why they left you here? Don't you _miss_ them?" There was this sound of urgency in the little hot rod’s tone. It may have not bothered Drift that he was left behind, but it sure as hell bothered him.  

        "But I like Kup's house. I like Kup. Kup makes us dinner!" Drift’s tone was a little too frantic and he realized it. Sinking into himself he tried to go back to building his castle.  

        He just didn't understand. At least Drift remembered his family, as least he knew what they were like, one thing Rodimus didn't have. At least at one point he was wanted.

        Spoiler drooping and hitting the sand, Rodimus felt his spark throb heavily.

        "Come on everybody." Rodimus heard Kup shout behind him. He was standing by the entrance to the park, waving for all of his babes to come to him.

        Both Springer and Perceptor hopped off the swings to run at him. Whirl, who was flipping over rocks in an attempt to find snails to play with perked up and ran to him, followed shortly after by Rodimus and Drift who climbed out of the sandbox.

        Drift reached Kup faster than Rodimus who was looking over his shoulder at the family of blue bots. They had moved away from the swings now, much like Kup they were probably on their way home but that didn't stop Rodimus seeing them cuddle each other one more time. His spark sank when he finally got to Kup's side, not looking up at him but getting a gentle pet on the head.

        The whole walk home, Rodimus seemed to lag behind, and Kup knew more than anyone when Rodimus' spoiler wasn't perked up and bouncing, something was wrong. Not to mention the dazed and sort of out of look expression he carried the whole way until Kup unlocked the door to their home and let everybody in. Like usual everybody scattered to their sections of the house they favored, but as Rodimus tried to do the same, Kup caught his shoulder and knelt down next to him.

        "Hey," Brushing some sand from Rodimus' cheek, Kup gave him a gentle smile, "you okay? You look upset, did something happen at the playground?" He stayed crouched, keeping Rodimus in front of him as the little hot rod tried to think of what to say. Wouldn't Kup be mad at him if he said he missed his Carrier and not him? But he wanted to ask... why... why wasn't he good enough?

        "I-" Rodimus started, poking little yellow servos together. "-I'm just hungry." Little optics looked at Kup's face, then back down when he registered the skeptical look. He expected Kup to pry more, but instead, as Kup stood up he received a small pat on the head.

        "Okay." Pulling Rodimus in for a light hug, Kup stood up. "I'll start on dinner. Go and play with the others for a little while, okay?" A small nod from the hot rod and Kup gave his little head a pat and was off.

 

* * *

 

 

Dinner came, and like always Drift cleared his plate first and asked for seconds. The rest of the crew ate at their normal pace, except for Rodimus, who seemed to just push food around from one side of the plate to the next. Kup watched him from across the table, sighing as he was happy Rodimus at least ate a little bit.

        In the end, Rodimus ended up turning in a half eaten plate to a more than concerned Kup. He didn't get a chance to ask Rodimus again if he was okay, as the little sparkling turned and moved quickly into the living area with the others for a late night movie like always before they all would turn in for the night.

        "Are you sure nothing is bothering you?" His voice was soft as he tucked Rodimus in. "You can talk to me about anything." Kup sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Rodimus who just shrugged up at him. His little blue optics faded a bit, and he averted his gaze away from Kup who just sighed. "Okay, I'll let you sleep. We can talk more in the morning." With a small kiss to the forehead, Kup made his rounds around the room, flicked on the nightlight, and left them all to sleep.

        For the others, it had been easy to sleep, but poor Rodimus couldn't settle. Back and forth he rolled, kicking at the blankets as he couldn't seem to get comfortable. He hugged his pillow, and then tossed it down on the floor when he couldn't take it anymore and sat up.

        The room was dark, all except for the little orange light in the corner of the room that made up their nightlight. It lit up the room just enough for him to see everybody else sleeping soundly.

        _I want to know._

He sat there in silence, just thinking of what he could do. More than anything he wanted to find his Carrier, but how?

        His little tank rumbled, and he sighed, regretting not eating all of his dinner. Maybe there were still some snacks in the closet in the kitchen he could have.

        Kicking off the blankets, Rodimus slid out of his bed with a small thump before making his way over to the bedroom door.

        Entering the hall, the house was dark, and for a sparkling, rather creepy. There was a light at the far end of the hall, the washroom which Kup always left on in case any of the babes needed to use it at any point during the night and the dull light in the kitchen above the stove.  He made his way to the kitchen quickly, not wanting to spend more time in the creepy hall than he had too.

        If he remembered right, there were a few cookies still left in the jar on the counter. The only issue was the counter had been significantly taller than Rodimus was, though that presented no issue when a chair was added into the equation.

        He slid the chair across the floor as quietly as possible until it hit the counter. He climbed up and stood, leaning across the counter until his little hands grabbed the jar and pulled it towards him. Once against his chest, he turned and sank down to sit in the chair, pulling the glass lid off and setting it down by his side.

        "Only three." He whispered as he reached in and grabbed one of the cookies. Kup probably would have been mad at him for eating since he didn't finish his dinner, but Rodimus didn't seem to really care as he took a bite.

        As he chewed he looked around, not really taking anything in until he got to the table. It was cleared except for a stack of books that Kup must have put there after dinner.

        _Those are from the Archive._

        He kept chewing, and then suddenly stopped when something struck his mind. Those were the books Kup had gotten while he had brought them all to the Archive a few weeks ago. As they had arrived, Kup had explained that the Archive had all sorts of useful information about everything and anything. Books, history, and official documentation of all sorts of things he wasn't really sure of.

        _Everything and anything? Like my Carrier?_

If the Archive had all sorts of information, then he could find out who his Carrier is and where to find them, right? He could show them how big and strong he had gotten, maybe they would have even missed him. 

        _If I go to the Archive I can ask them about my Carrier and be back before the others know I was ever gone._

        Putting the cap back on the cookie jar, Rodimus put it back in its spot on the counter and returned the chair back under the table. Next, Rodimus rushed around the kitchen grabbing all sorts of things he thought he might need.

        He remembered seeing on one of the cartoons he watched with the others that when a character was planning to travel, they made this weird stick bag thing.

        Retrieving the washcloth that was hanging off of the stove’s handle, Rodimus set it down on the floor to use for his bundle. Next, he went to the snack closet and grabbed a few energy bars and two small cubes of energon. Really all he figured he needed was a few things for the night, but when he tried to tie his bundle up it was a little too full.

        Maybe one of the small backpacks back in their room would be better. Besides he wasn't sure he was going to find something to put the bundle on the end of.

        Sneaking back to his room, Rodimus paused in the hall to peer into Kup's room. Like always, Kup was asleep on his side, snoring softly. He shifted, scratched his nose and rolled over, and Rodimus moved on his way.

        Re-entering his room, Rodimus crept to the closet and rummaged around until he found the small backpack he was looking for. When he turned back around, he froze when he saw Perceptor sitting up in bed.

        "Roddy?" Voice heavy with sleep, Perceptor rubbed his little fists into his optics. "What are you doing?"

        "I'm going to the Archive."

        "The Archive? Like the book Archive?" Perceptor yawned. "Why?"

        "I'm going to find my Carrier. I'll be back in the morning." As Rodimus spoke, he kept his voice low and stuffed all his supplies into his bag.

        "But Kup is our-"

        "No, my _real_ Carrier." Putting his arms through the straps, Rodimus secured the bag on his back and stood up. "I'll be back in the morning. Go back to sleep." Perceptor didn't lie down right away, instead he stared Rodimus down until he got to the door. "I promise."

        Blinking tiredly, Perceptor laid down, snuggling into his pillow as Rodimus left the room and closed the door.

        Once again Rodimus was in the dark hall, except this time he faced the front door. He moved over to it, looking from side to side for something to stand on as he remembered Kup always locked the door at night and the lock was too high for him to reach.

        Running into the living area, Rodimus pulled a few thick books off the shelf and stacked them in front of the door. He stepped up and stood on the tips of his little feet to reach the lock. He flicked it and heard a loud click to let him know it had unlocked before he climbed down and kicked the books to the side.

        Twisting the knob and pulling the door open, Rodimus sank down into his armor as a cool draft wisped in and around him. He stepped outside and onto the front step, pulling the door closed behind him.

        Hopping down the steps, Rodimus made his way to the sidewalk and stopped, looking both ways. Both sides looked identical, low lit by the street lights to reveal large circular blotches of the sidewalk and roadway. He hummed to himself, realizing he hadn't actually remembered which way the Archive had been. Kup had always taken them and he hadn't really paid much attention to landmarks of any kind.

        "I think Kup went... right?" Turning to the right, Rodimus paused before he took a step. "Or maybe... left?" He turned to the left, then back right. "No, it was this way." He started to walk, feeling sort of energized and excited. Wouldn't his Carrier be so proud of him for finding them all on his own?

        Spoiler quivering, Rodimus smiled and kept walking, getting to the end of the street and needing to make another choice of which way to go. Before he took a left, he glanced over his shoulder back at Kup's house, seeing the faint outside light in the distance. With a small sigh, he kept walking.

 

* * *

 

 

Wrapping his arms around himself, Rodimus shivered, the wind having picked up now. He had been walking for a good hour and already his little feet hurt. He had managed to get away from the rural area, now walking among buildings he didn't really recognize. What he could tell from all of the 'closed' signs hanging on the doors was that he was probably in town now near the shopping areas. What section he wasn't sure of, the area was a lot larger than he remembered, not to mention he had no idea where he was exactly.

        A feeling of nervousness welled up in his little tank and he stopped by a street lamp to rest a moment. He was feeling the weight of sleeplessness now, and longed for the soft covers of his berth and blanket.

        _Maybe I should go back._

He turned around; looking at the street he had just walked down, but couldn't remember which way exactly he had turned from. Not good, not good at all. He hadn't thought about how to find his way back, he had just figured finding the Archive would be easy. Kup always got there so fast... but then again that was when he drove and they all rode in his cabin.

        _Which way..._

        A sudden wave of fear washed over him as he realized he had no idea what he was actually doing. Was he even headed in the right direction? Would he be able to find his way back home?

        His little tank rumbled and broke him from his rising panic, all this walking had made him hungry again, good thing he had packed for just such occasion.

        Sitting down against the light post, Rodimus slipped his backpack off and put it between his little legs. Unzipping it, he rifled around inside until his little hand came in contact with an energy bar. Pulling the wrapper off, he stuffed it into his mouth, now feeling not so excited about this whole idea.

        Something rustled behind him, and he jumped, looking over his shoulder to a dark alleyway. The noise continued until a set of beady red optics glistened and startled him. Out of the shadows stepped what he thought was a turbo-hound, and a mangy looking one at that.

        It sniffed the air, its optics locking into the energy bar Rodimus had in his hand. Tongue snaking out of its mouth, it hunkered down and approached him.

        Looking at his bar, Rodimus quickly snapped it in half and tossed the hound the piece. He had plenty more, no reason not to share.

        He watched it jump at the piece, picking it up and devouring it before looking back up at him for more. A bit of drool seeped from the side of its mouth and that's when Rodimus picked up on how sharp its fangs were. He had never really seen a turbo hound up close except for the ones in the petshop window, and even then they looked a lot friendlier and nicer than this one.

        "I can't give you anymore. The rest is for me. I need it. I'm hungry too." As he moved his piece towards his mouth, the hound growled, raking its claws into the ground. "Go away." Rodimus dropped his spoiler, a little scared now as it moved closer. "Stop." He scooted back, but the hound jumped at him. "STOP!" Its paws hit his chest, knocking him on his back. He flailed his arms and legs, screaming as the hound snapped at his hands in an attempt to get the other half of the bar. Digging its claws into Rodimus' little frame, he cried out and tried kicking it off, only making it angrier as it snapped at him.       

        He let the bar go when he felt its fangs graze his hand, not wanting it to bite him and hurt him more than its claws were already doing.

        It snapped the bar down, snarling at him and sniffing at him for anything else he might have had before turning its attention to his little backpack. It snagged one of the bags straps, wanting to get away with it but Rodimus sat himself up in time to grab the other strap.

        "Stop! It's mine! Get away!" His arms were littered with scratches and now as he tried to hold onto his bag his knees were being painfully dragged across the concrete. "Stop it!" He sobbed, pulling as hard as he could and still losing to the hound. It would swipe at him, scratching at his chest and legs, causing Rodimus to continue to cry out each time his paint was painfully scratched.

        Suddenly the hound let the bag go and lunged at Rodimus, snapping at his face and causing him to fumble backwards with his arms covering his face in a feeble attempt to protect himself.

        Having released the bag to shield himself, the hound took advantage of the hot rod cowering to grab the bag and run off, leaving poor Rodimus sitting on the sidewalk to cry.

        Lost and terribly alone, Rodimus sat and sobbed into his hands for what felt like hours, wishing more than anything Kup was there to scoop him up and comfort him but who knows how far he had gotten.

        Getting up on shaking legs, Rodimus limped his way down the street, hoping it was the direction of home.

 


	9. Rodimus Arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay its 8000+ words so hopefully its somewhat alright.

The pot whistled on the stove, rattling the longer it was left on the burner to boil. It settled when Kup plucked it off the burner, not wanting the noise to wake the babes too soon.

        He was always up early, enjoying the quiet of the morning and getting a chance to read the paper before he had to make dozens of pancakes for hungry mouths. Sometimes waffles sometimes scrambled eggs, it was a mystery every morning what the little ones would want, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

        Pouring the hot coffee into his mug, Kup took a sip gingerly and sighed with content. There was nothing better than a nice hot cup of energon on a chilly morning like today.

        One more article, and a few sips from his mug, Kup finally managed to get himself up to wake the babes. As much as they would like to sleep in all day, breakfast usually coaxed them out and about.

        “Good morning. It’s time to wake up.” Kup sang in a soft voice as he opened the door and stepped into the room.

        He moved to the first bed, setting his hand on Springer’s back and gently rubbing. He felt him shift under his palm, and then a small whine sound from under the covers.

        “You have to wake up so you can tell me what we can make for breakfast.” He moved on to the next bed, gently stroking Drift’s finial. He rubbed the tips and smiled as Drift yawned and rubbed his little eyes. “Pancakes, waffles, maybe even some sweet bread?”

        “Waffles.” Drift’s voice was groggy, still waking up as he sat up and stretched out his little arms. “And toast.”

        “ _And_ toast.” Kup leaned down and kissed one of his plump little cheeks. He sat up and smiled as Drift giggled, then helped him get out of bed and shooed him off as he moved to the bed directly across from him. Already Perceptor was sitting up in bed, which wasn’t uncommon as a while ago Kup learned Perceptor was naturally an early riser. Sometimes he would join him in the kitchen early in the morning and read the comics from Kup’s paper.

        There was something different this morning, something off that made him look more tired than just being woken up early for breakfast. There was nervousness about him as he stared across the room at one of the beds, the blankets crinkled up in the center. It was hard for him to tell if Rodimus was under them or not, he did say he was going to be back in the morning, didn’t he?

        “Percy,” Kup sat on the edge of the bed, honing on that nervous look. “Are you okay? You look a little pale. Did you sleep okay?” He leaned to the side, trying to get Perceptor’s focus on him. “Percy?”

        “Just hungry.” Slipping out from under the covers, Perceptor’s little feet hit the floor and he turned to try and make his bed.          

        “Well, do you mind setting the table while I wake Whirl and Rodimus up? I’ll be there in just a moment.” There was a frantic nod, and Perceptor hurried off, grabbing Drift on his way out the door and nearly dragging him with him.

        Whirl slept with his legs sticking out from the bottom of the blankets, at no point where they not fully extended.

        “Is Whirl home?” Kup picked up the top of the blanket, looking inside to see a slightly dimmed golden orb looking up at him.

        “No.” Putting the blanket back down over Whirl’s head, Kup sighed and moved on to Rodimus’ bed.

        “Alright Roddy, time to get up.” He put his hands on his hips, looking at the lumped up blankets in the center of the bed. Was it too much to ask for him to sleep like a normal sparkling? “Come on, I have some fruits today.” Grabbing and yanking the blankets off, Kup’s optics narrowed at the empty space. “Roddy?” He paused, looking around the room to see if he happened to miss Rodimus getting up on his own but instead only saw Whirl sliding out of his own bed.

        Heading over to the closet, Kup put his hands on the knob and pulled it open, anticipating Rodimus jumping out and trying to scare him, but instead he was met with just a few stuffed animals. Just for the hell of it, he checked under Rodimus’ bed, finding nothing but a few misplaced toys.

        Standing, Kup put his hands on his hips and sighed. Perhaps he had just gone to use the washroom and he had just missed him.

        Heading out of the room and down the hall, A bit of relief washed over Kup as he could see the washroom light was on.  

        “Roddy, come on it’s time for-“ He paused as he rounded the corner, blinking as he saw Springer standing on a little stool brushing his denta in front of the sink. “Was Rodimus in here?” He asks as Springer spit and shook his head.

        “No.” Springer ran the back of his hand across his mouth as he watched Kup push away from the door and head to the kitchen. A hint of panic started to bubble in his intake as he could see everybody accounted for already around the table, except Rodimus.

        Heading into the living area, Kup put his hands on his hips and tried his best to sound serious. If Rodimus was hiding, hopefully his stern voice would get him to come out.

        “Rodimus, funs over, come on you’re going to miss breakfast.” He waited, listening for any movement, but all he could hear where the others in the kitchen. “Rodimus.” His tank turned, and he whirled around, going back into the babe’s room and looking a little more in depth. “Rodimus, I’m serious.” He opened the toy box, looked in the closet again, checked under every bed, but his little hot rod wasn’t there. “Rodimus!?” His frantic walking from room to room turned into running, looking in every spot he could think of until he found himself standing back in the living room. “Rodimus?!”

        “Kup.” A small voice sounded behind him, and as he turned around, he saw Perceptor looking down. “He said he was going to be home by the morning-” He pulled at his little servos, trying to keep his face down as Kup knelt before him.

        “Who said they would be home by morning?”

        “Rodimus?”

        “What do you mean?” If the panic wasn’t there before it sure as hell was now.

        “I woke up last night and Rodimus was awake too. He said he was going to the Archive and that he would be back in the morning. He said he was going to come back! I swear he said it! I thought he was here.”

        “He left?! Rodimus left the house last night?! He’s been out there all this time, alone?!” He was yelling now, and he didn’t realize it until Perceptor shrank in on himself and whimpered. “I’m sorry Percy, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell.” Pulling Perceptor into a tight hug, Kup shook his head and stood.  

        He needed to get to the Archive, but he couldn’t leave the others home alone, not with the risk of any more of them wandering off on his watch, if that had even been the case. What if Rodimus just… ran away? What if he didn’t like living here?

 

* * *

 

 

Kup considered himself lucky Ratchet’s clinic was only a few blocks down the road and that when he needed him he could show up at his doorstep in a matter of minutes.

        As he zoomed down the street in the direction of the Archive, he pinged Prowl next.

        “Rodimus is missing?”

        “He left last night; he has been gone for maybe ten hours? It’s hard to say.” He tried to keep his voice steady, but the more he thought about how long Rodimus had spend out of the house on his own, the sicker he felt. How could he let something like this happen? The house was supposed to be safe. “I’m headed to the Archive as we speak to see if he is still there.”

        “He couldn’t possibly have gotten far on his own. If he isn’t there, he couldn’t have wandered too far.” Prowl paused, not wanting to bring up the possibility that Rodimus might have been kidnapped on his way there. It wasn’t an uncommon thing to happen. After all Whirl had suffered that fate before he was rescued, and he had paid a price for it. “I’ll send out Jazz to do a sweep of the streets nearby. If he sees anything, I’ll be the first to know.”

        “I’m here now; I’ll let you know if I find him.” He didn’t slow down as he approached the Archives staircase; instead he transformed and used his momentum to run up the steps.

        Skidding to a stop in front of the door, he yanked it open and looked around first for any sign of Rodimus.

        Tables were filled with bots he didn’t recognize, flipping through books or wandering the various shelves for files. Not a single one of them were Rodimus, and that only worsened the panic swelling behind his chestplate.

        “Come on, come on, Roddy where are you?” He ran through each aisle of shelves, becoming more and more desperate as he grew close to the end. “Come on Roddy, please be here, please-” He rounded the corner to the last aisle of books, and his spark sank as it was empty.

        For the first time in his life, the ground under his feet felt like it was crumbling away, leaving him stranded and helpless. His legs wobbled, and he grabbed at the shelf closest to him to try and steady himself. Falling down and causing a scene wasn't going to help anybody, he had to keep moving.

        "Excuse me," Kup trudged to the front desk, his face painted with sorrow as he stood in front of the clerk, "have you seen this sparkling? Has he come in at all today?" Setting a picture down on the desktop, he slid it across to the clerk who picked it up and looked at it.

        Rodimus sat on Kup's shoulders, a bubble wand in Rodimus' hand as Kup must have been running so it could work. It was taken fairly recent, only a month or so back.

        The clerk picked it up and looked at it a moment, then up at Kup. His face sagging a bit as the hope of finding Rodimus was dwindling. His shoulders slouched when the clerk put the photo down and shook their head.

        "I can't say I have."

        "Please, are you sure? He's only this tall," Kup gestured with his hand by his side. "He's really loud and spunky, you couldn't miss him. You haven't seen him at all?" He was patient as the clerk looked at the photo again and shook their head.

        "I'm really sorry, but nobody who looks like that has arrived today. I can keep a look out for you though."

        "I would... really appreciate that... thank you." Scribbling down his contact info, Kup took his photo and moved himself outside of the Archive.

        By now the sidewalk was bustling and people moved around him quickly and some even bumped into him, muttering curses at him for being in the way.

        "Rodimus!" Kup cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting over the crowed. "Rodimus!" He dropped his hands by his sides, spinning around to try and call in the other direction. "Rodimus!" His voice cracked and he covered his face, struggling to keep himself together. How could he let something like this happen? He was just a child, he should have been more careful.

        "He's not here." Kup spoke into his com, waiting patiently for Prowl to pick up on the other end. "He's not here Prowl. What do I do? He's not here? He could be anywhere. He could be hurt, he could be hungry." He took a step back, tripping on himself and catching the railing to the Archives stairway before lowering himself to sit on one of the steps. "He's not here Prowl."

 

* * *

 

The walk home empty handed was the hard part. He took his time, going every back road he could think of to cry out Rodimus' name in hopes he could hear him call back, but there was nothing.

        The sun was now sinking into the horizon, it was hard to believe that he had spent the whole day wandering street after street asking everybody who passed him by if they had seen his little hot rod, and for nothing.

        As he came up on the street his house was on, he could make out two bots standing outside his front steps. Just from the color patterns he could tell it was Ratchet and Prowl talking with one another.

        "Find anything?" Kup climbed the steps, opening the door and inviting them inside. Already he could tell just by their expressions neither of them had any good news to share.

        "Unfortunately no, Rodimus is still out there somewhere." Prowl stepped in, and immediately Whirl was at his side, pulling on his hand with one claw. He didn't look down, but instead pulled his hand up and pet Whirl’s head, rubbing his little antenna to keep him happy while he talked. "Jazz has been scouting the east end. I'll be joining the search shortly and looking in the north end."

        "Is there anything I can do?" Kup pleaded, feeling a reassuring hand on his shoulder from Ratchet behind him. "Please Prowl, there has to be something I can do."

        "The best thing you can do for Rodimus right now is stay right here. If he manages to wander home, it will be better for you to be here when he does." He could tell Kup didn't like that offer, as his shoulder went slack and he frowned. It was natural for him to want to do more, to be on the front lines, but he had others to take care of... and he knew that.

        "I... understand."

        With a nod, Prowl knelt down and put his hands at either side of Whirl’s head, rubbing back and forth gently.

        "You be good, okay?" He got a nod, and with one last pet to the head, Prowl left, leaving Ratchet and Kup to stand in main hall.

        "Kup listen, none of this is your fault. Stuff like this happens-"

        "It shouldn't happen. Not here, this is... this is supposed to be a safe place. He isn't supposed to feel like he has to run away."

        "We're going to find him." Ratchet tried to think of something else to say, but he couldn't call forth the right words in this situation. What was there to say?

        Stepping past Ratchet, Kup looked out the large picture window, watching the sun sink past the horizon.

        Rodimus had been alone all day, wherever he was, and now he was going to be alone all night.

 

* * *

 

He rubbed at his scuffed knees, sniffling as they ached along with his legs and his feet. He was dirty, cold, and terribly tired and longed for the warmth of his bed, but he had to settle for the first alleyway he could find. More than once he had been chased out by a shop owner when he tried to settle under a store front terrace, getting smacked in the side and the back with a broom until he moved on to someplace else.

        As he moved about in the daylight, he had hoped things would be better, maybe somebody could help him, but wherever he was, people seemed to be incredibly cruel.

        When he tugged at their hands and asked for their help, they would snap their hands away in disgust at him and shoo him off. Some would even shove him so hard he would fall back on his aft.     When he would cry after being shoved, nobody stopped to comfort him. Nobody stopped to cover his bleeding knees or to tell him everything was going to be okay. They just kept on walking.

        To them, he looked like a homeless sparkling, dirty and begging, nothing but a mangy little thing that would eventually find its way into the slums like all the rest of them. 

        Now, sitting by a dumpster, nursing his own knees, Rodimus sighed. His little tank rumbled from time to time and earlier it was just a noise, but now it came with a terrible pang of pain that made him hold his belly and hunch over. What he wouldn't do for something to eat right about now.

        "Stupid turbo hound." He pulled his knees up to his chest, sniffling as he tried to think of what he was going to do next, where he would go. It was hard to focus on an empty tank and nearly no sleep. Plus it wasn't helping that he could hear soft rumbling above him and the few little droplets of rain hitting his head and arms.

        There was little shelter in the alley, but he did manage to find a long piece of cardboard to put over his head. It wasn't perfect, but it would keep him sort of dry for now. At least until the rain started to pick up.

        It poured over him, soaking him and his cardboard until it sagged pathetically over him. Still, he kept it over his head, trying to ignore how cold he was getting the wetter he got. Water collected under him, forming a large puddle that made his hiding spot incredibly uncomfortable.

        Standing up, Rodimus threw the cardboard across the alley and screamed. Running at the crumpled up cardboard, he kicked it furiously, sobbing as he did so.

        The rain muffled his sobs until he calmed down, just standing in the middle of the alley heaving in air and shivering. He flinched as a particularly loud crackle of thunder rumbled above him and calmed down from his fury.

        "I want to go home!" His spoiler sagged and he gave one last kick to his improvised shelter before going back out onto the sidewalk. "I'm cold! I want Kup. I want to sleep." He sobbed into his elbow as he walked; it was all he could do really. It would be pointless to sit around and continue to get rained on, might as well keep moving and hope for the best.

 

* * *

 

The diner was quiet at this time of night, which is what he liked after a long day in the office. Nothing but the soft rustle of plates in the back, the gentle chatter of old timers at the counter enjoying some warm energon, and the soft music playing over the music box.

        Picking up his mug, Ultra Magnus put it to his lips, taking a small sip and then licking his lips. Mhm, they always made it right here, never too bitter, just the right amount of sweet.

        "How has work been for you, Orion?" Magnus set his mug down, rubbing his fingers into the ceramic to warm them.

        "Quiet, like always. Shifting data files from one classified Archive to the next isn't exactly exciting work... but I like it." Orion shrugged, breaking a biscuit in two, he tossed one half into his mouth and took a sip of his energon.      

        Magnus nodded, glancing out the window to watch the rain trickle down the glass. He took a deep breath, sighing as he half listens to what Orion is saying. His gaze is focused on the street lamps, perplexed at how beautiful they are as they twinkle in the rain.

        For the most part, the only movement outside is the occasional passing car and nothing more, until something else caught his attention.

        It's difficult to see, as the rain diluted his vision through the glass, but he can see someone walking on the curb.

        Now that wouldn't be odd if the person he saw walking was a lot bigger than what he was looking at.

        "Is that a-" Magnus leaned closer to the glass, his optics rotating and narrowing to try and get a better look. "Is that a sparkling?" Orion's chatter faded out, and he followed Magnus' gaze outside the window.

        "It's hard to see but... I think it is." Orion leaned closer to the glass, looking out to see a small red and gold sparkling walking on the other side of the street. It was hard to make out, but the little thing had his arms wrapped around himself, cold no doubt.

        "What the hell is a sparkling doing outside at this time of night? In the rain?" Magnus watched the sparkling, gritting his denta as a car passed by, hitting a puddle and splashing the poor little thing hard enough to knock it down.

        Getting up, Magnus rushed from the diner, leaving Orion to watch him run across the street from their booth.

        "Are you alright?" Magnus asked, looming over the soaking wet little thing. Now up close and personal, he could see it shivering, covered head to toe in mud, and hear it whimpering. He frowned, his optics picked up on his little scuffed knees and some scrapes elsewhere on his little body as well. He noticed it cower, shielding itself with one arm as if it expected him to swat it away.

        Getting down on one knee, Magnus tried to make himself look a little less intimidating. Often he forgot how much larger he can be than other bots, especially sparklings.

        "It's okay; I'm not going to hurt you. You're alright. What's your name?" He waited, watching the sparkling stare at him as if he had no idea what he was saying, when in truth, he was the first bot to actually speak to him kindly all day.

        "Rodimus." Rodimus sat on the ground, not sure if he could get up. His legs and feet ached terribly, and he didn't want to walk anymore if he could help it. At this point he would settle for a park bench to sleep on if he could find one, just as long as he could sleep.

        "Okay, Rodimus. Where is your Carrier?" Bad question, upon asking, thick globs of fluid welled up under Rodimus’ optics, waterfalling down his face.

        "I don't know!" He choked out and sobbed. He brought his little arms around himself, holding himself as he cried. "I don't know!"

        Startled, Magnus leaned back a bit, not really sure what to do now.  He wasn't much of a sparkling type of mech, more so he had so little contact with any of them, he had no idea how to handle them in situations like these.

        Looking up at the diner, he could see Orion shrug at him and then wave him to come back inside. Well getting out of the rain would be a good place to start.

        "Come on, let's get you out of the rain, how does that sound?" He wasn't sure if he should pick Rodimus up, so he offered a large hand to him instead.

        Slowly, Rodimus put his little yellow one into Magnus', watching his large white servos curl around his entire hand, and together they crossed the street and enter the diner.

        "This is Rodimus." Helping Rodimus sit in the booth, Magnus looks at Orion. "Do you mind watching him for a second while I call this in? He's lost." Orion nodded and with that Magnus moved off to the back of the diner.

        Rodimus sat quietly, his chin quivering as he held back more sobs that twisted his intake into knots. That's all he had wanted to do, just sob and hope all this would just go away, that Kup would come in, scoop him up and take him home.

        In the meantime, he stared across the table at Orion’s plate, eyeing the biscuits. His little tank growled and he licked his lips, blinking in surprise when Orion slid the plate across the table at him.

        "You can eat them if you like." Orion gave the starving sparkling a warm smile, pushing the plate a little closer to him so he wouldn't have to reach far for it.

 

* * *

 

"I'm trying to reach Prowl." Magnus spoke as clearly as possible into his com. "Is Prowl available?" Static popped over the line as he tried to listen to the bot speak to him. The storm must be interfering with the link, plus it didn't help they were in sort of a dead zone being outside of the main city. "Listen, if you can get a hold of Prowl, tell him to contact me as soon as possible. I found a sparkling outside and I'm more than certain it's lost." He listened to the mech on the other end fade in and out. "Listen, if you get a hold of him, make sure to tell him to ping me later." Cutting the link, Magnus turned and rubbed his face.

        This was going to be a long night.

        Heading back to the booth, Magnus stood at the front of the table and looked at Orion, then down at Rodimus who had a biscuit in his little hands. He took a small bite, munching on it while not looking at either of them.

        "Any word from Prowl?" Orion had his head propped up on one hand with his elbow on the table, just watching the little hot Rod.

        "The storm is making it difficult to keep contact, but I did manage to leave a message. Hopefully he will ping me later when this rain clears up." Rodimus put the last piece of biscuit in his mouth and looked at the plate for another, his little spoiler sagging when he realized he ate them all. He leaned back, tank growling in protest as it wanted more. "I think I'm just going to take him to my place until I hear back from Prowl. No point in waiting here." Plus the diner would probably close long before Prowl could get a hold of him. Not to mention, Rodimus was shaking, cold and still wet, he needed to be dried off and warmed up.

        "Are you sure?" Orion raised an eyebrow in question. Ultra Magnus didn't seem like the... caregiver type.

        "Yes," Magnus looked at Rodimus and coaxed him out of the booth, "we are going to go home, get dry, and sleep, how does that sound?" Like heaven to Rodimus.    

"Alright, let's go." As Magnus turned, something grabbed his large servo, tugging on it. He looked down to see Rodimus pulling on his hand, those big blue optics welling up with tears again.

        "Please carry me." He begged, his legs were so tired, his little feet scuffed and scratched, he didn't want to walk anymore. "Please." His voice cracked, and he squeezed Magnus' servo again.

        Carefully, Magnus knelt down and picked Rodimus up, letting the sparkling sit on his forearm. Almost immediately, Rodimus nuzzled his head against Magnus' shoulder, sucking up all the warmth he had to offer.

        Hesitantly, Magnus reached up, rubbing his little back as he walked down the sidewalk towards his home.

He wasn't sure where to set Rodimus down considering how filthy he was, and how clean his apartment was. Eventually he decided it was just better to let the sofa get a bit dirty rather than force Rodimus to stand while he figured out what to do next.

        Perhaps a bath, but was that appropriate for him to do? This wasn't his sparkling after all, but he was so filthy, and wouldn't it warm him up?

        "Stay right here, okay? I'm going to get a bath ready and we are going to clean you up." He watched Rodimus give him a small nod, his expression sort of distant. He was just too tired to really listen, whatever happened at this point... happened.

        With a small sigh Magnus went off into his washroom, kneeling down by the tub and turning the faucet. He kept his hand under the water, patiently waiting for it to warm up before blocking the drain and letting the tub fill half way.

        There, that should do it. Nice and warm, and a bit of medical grade drizzled in for good measure.  

        Getting up, Magnus left the room to retrieve Rodimus, bringing him back and very slowly placing him into the water. He watched Rodimus' face, expecting him to freak out, but as soon as he saw Rodimus' spoiler drop and heard him let out a happy sigh at the warmth, he set him set him down all the way. Good.

        "Feel good?" Magnus sat down by the side of the tub, watching the water stain from how dirty Rodimus' frame had been. He watched him stretch his legs out and run his hands through the water as if he hadn't remembered what a warm bath had felt like. "I'm going to wash you off, okay?" He dunked the facecloth into the water, wringing it out and very gently starting to dab at Rodimus' shoulders.

        Obediently, Rodimus held still, just enjoying the wash and the warm water as Magnus scrubbed out some grime between his shoulder joints. With the pressure off, he felt so much better.

        "I know you're hungry, so when we are done you can have some energon." Magnus moved to Rodimus' little spoiler, rinsing it off and seeing just how bright Rodimus’ golden plating must have been before this whole ordeal. It was a shame it was now scuffed and chipped, leaving him to look sort of scraggly. What really bothered him thought where the several jagged scratches across his armor. When he touched them, Rodimus leaned away as they were still tender.

        "What are these from?" Magnus ran the cloth over it, gently scrubbing away caked on energon and mud.

        "A turbo hound attacked me." Cuts lined his chest, arms, and the tips of his little thighs suffered the most. The only good news about it though is that they were shallow and superficial, but of course they probably still hurt like hell.

        Arms, chest, hands, Magnus kept cleaning until the tubs water was a murky brown. He drained the tub and refilled it, finishing up with Rodimus’ muddy face.

        He held Rodimus chin with two servos, keeping him steady while he rubbed the facecloth across his cheeks.

        "There he is." Magnus dipped the cloth again, '"I can see someone under all this dirty." He smiled as he ran the cloth over Rodimus' nose, getting a good look now at that cute little creamy face.

        Finishing up, Magnus pulled Rodimus from the tub and stood him in front of him while he wrapped a towel around him and ruffled it. Dry and clean, Magnus brought Rodimus back to the living room and set Rodimus back on the sofa before vanishing off into another room for a few minutes.

        As he returned, he had a small box in one hand, and a large cube of energon in the other. He set the box down on the coffee table, and then very gently handed the cube to Rodimus who was already making grabby hands at it.

        "Drink it slow, you'll make yourself sick if you drink too quickly." The cube was handed off, and Magnus popped open his first aid kit. He rifled around inside until he found some antibiotic cream and a few bandages. These would have to do for now.

        Holding the cube with two little hands, Rodimus tilted it back and started to chug it in big gulps. God it tasted so good, so _so_ good.

        "Slow." He felt Magnus touch his little hand, and he eased off a bit, taking smaller sips and even pulling away to take a breath.

        Starting at Rodimus' knees, Magnus dabbed at the scuffed metal with a clean cloth, squeezing Rodimus' little foot when he tried to pull away as it stung.

        "I know it hurts, but just be brave and it I'll be done soon, alright?" He dabbed again, and could see Rodimus' lower lip quivering. He nodded anyway and tried to keep still as Magnus dabbed and wrapped, dabbed and wrapped. By the time he had finished his cube, Magnus was done and he was all patched up.

        Folding up his kit and putting it back into the kitchen, Magnus returned to sit next to Rodimus. He looked down, watching Rodimus struggle to keep his little eyes open. They dimmed and flickered, and he sort of leaned to one side as he struggled to stay awake.

        Hesitantly, Magnus reached over, hooking his hand around Rodimus and very carefully pulling him towards him. As he had hoped, Rodimus laid down, resting his head on his thigh. He yawned and let his optics fade out until they were barely online.

        "I miss Kup." Rodimus closed his optics, cuddling harder into Magnus.

        "Who's Kup?" Resting his hand on Rodimus' back, Magnus rubbed the space between his spoiler.

        "Kup takes care of me. He makes me breakfast and gets us donuts sometimes. He plays with me outside and watches movies with me. He doesn't get mad when I spill my energon. He carries me and..." He trails off, struggling to stay awake to talk, "holds me..." Losing the battle to sleep, he faded off, embracing it. His little spoiler sagged, and Magnus rubbed it for a while, just watching over him until he heard a ping on his internal com-link.

        "Prowl?" He tried to keep his voice soft, looking down at Rodimus, he set his hand on his little head and rubbed.

        "You found a sparkling. What does he look like?" Magnus looked down at Rodimus, actually analyzing him now.

        "Uh... he's red and gold. His paint seemed fairly new so I don't believe he's from the Dead End." He quieted when Rodimus shifted under him. "He said someone named ‘Kup’ was his caretaker. Figured I would call it in incase anybody might be looking for him. He's banged up but I patched him up and fed him."

        "Someone is certainly looking for him. He's been missing for two days. Kup owns a small house three districts from your area. I'm surprised he got as far as you. He wandered off two days ago trying to get to the Archive, I don't doubt he got lost." Prowl sighed over the link. "Bring him by the precinct, he can stay here until morning and I'll bring him back to Kup, no doubt they want to see one another." There was a long pause between the link as Magnus looked down at his peacefully sleeping guest.

        "I think... it would be best for him to stay here for the night. He just fell asleep and he has been through hell. At least here it is quiet and he can sleep." Plus Prowl would probably stuff him in an interrogation room with an incredibly stiff chair. Better to let him stay on the couch tucked in and safe. "I can bring him to the diner in the morning if you would like to meet me there." There was another long pause before Prowl finally spoke up.

        "Alright, I'll let Kup know he is safe, it should ease his mind. See you tomorrow." The com cut and Magnus was left in silence.

        Growing tired himself, Magnus carefully slipped his hand under Rodimus' little frame, lifting him as he stood and setting him back down on the sofa to sleep.

        He tucked him in, giving his little head a fond pet before heading off to his own room to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Optics flickering online as a low roll of thunder sounded above the apartment, Rodimus looked into the darkness. He couldn't really recall where he was right away, as the room was too dark and the only light he had was from the window being lightly beat upon by the outside rain.

        The noise itself was relaxing, and there was a soft ticking from a clock somewhere in the room, but other than that, it was silent, and he was alone.

        Sitting up and rubbing his optics, Rodimus looked around, trying to get his optics to adjust. He felt a little better now that he had gotten some sleep, but a small panic swelled in his belly when he finally processed he was alone in the room.

        Where was he again? Oh yes, right, that big blue guy picked him up, washed him, and fed him. Where was he?

        Across the room there was a door not quite closed, one he hadn't seen Magnus enter before as he had memorized the others being the kitchen and the washroom. So what was this room?

        Kicking the blanket off himself, Rodimus dropped down off of the sofa and rushed his way across the room, not wanting to be in the dark longer than he had too.

        He paused a moment, seeing a bed and a large lump on top of it. He wasted no time rushing to it, grabbing onto the blankets that were hanging over and climbing up onto the top.

        He pulled himself up, sitting for a moment to let his arms rest. From the foot of the bed, he could see Magnus sleeping, and found it really weird that he only kept the blankets up to his waist and not all the way up to his shoulders. Perhaps it was because he didn't have anybody to tuck him in.

        Slowly, Rodimus crawled up to the head of the bed, pausing near Magnus' arms before nodding to himself and leaning down. Squeezing himself under a heavy arm, Rodimus wormed his way up and against Magnus' chest.

        He laid there for a few minutes, just listening to Magnus breathe and feel the weight of his arm over him. This was so much better than the sofa, warmer, and comforting.

        Getting comfy, Rodimus let his optics offline and let himself fall back asleep, not realizing he had woken Magnus up.

        He watched Rodimus through one slightly open optic, confused at first what he was doing, and then accepting the fact Rodimus just needed comfort and contact. At first he was going to get up and bring him back to the sofa, but he looked so calm and at peace and already he was sleeping. Might as well just let him sleep.

        Taking in a deep breath, he rubbed Rodimus' back, pulling him close before closing his optics and letting sleep draw him back in.

 

* * *

 

The awful smell of something burning withdrew Rodimus from his slumber, making him sit up fast and wrinkle his nose as it filled the room.

        He looked to the side, noticing Magnus was gone and he had the large bed all to himself and that it was significantly brighter in the room now.

        Sunlight poured through the window, the rays warm against his plating as he realized it was morning.

        Getting out from under the covers, Rodimus looked over the edge of the bed, not having realized last night how high up he really was. It was too high for him to just jump down, so all he could do was try to slide down which just ended in him landing on his little aft.

        As he stood, he rubbed his little aft and rushed to the door, opening it and looking into the living area. It was empty, but a small trail of smoke was wafting out of the kitchen, which he rushed into next.

        Magnus was standing facing the stove, cursing at the pan as he tried his very best to make some sort of breakfast. Normally he would go out with Orion, but he figured since he had a sparkling he should try to make... pancakes or something.

        "This seemed so easy on the box." Magnus mumbled to himself as he flipped an incredible burnt pancake in the pan. There was some good news though; at least two of the pancakes he made looked slightly edible.

        Patting his little hand against Magnus' large leg, Rodimus looked up at him as he lifted an arm to look down.

        "Good morning, just in time for breakfast." He saw Rodimus' optics light up. "Go sit at the table." He didn't have to ask twice, Rodimus rushed to the table and jumped up on a chair, waiting patiently for Magnus to set down a plate with two pancakes in front of him.

        He drenched them in syrup, hoping Rodimus didn't mind they were a little burnt, but the way he dug into them he assumed he really didn't care as long as he could eat.

        Placing a warm glass of energon next to Rodimus, Magnus sat down with his own mug and sipped at it while he watched the sparkling clear his plate.  He moved to the energon glass next, using his two cute little hands to hold it while he sipped it.

        "Feeling better today?"

        Rodimus nodded, his cheeks slightly puffed out as they were full of energon. He swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

        "Good. When you're done I want to check your bandages and then you and I are going to go out." Now that he thought about it, maybe he should have just taken Rodimus to the diner for breakfast rather than attempt to make some on his own.

        Taking Rodimus' cleared plate, Magnus brought Rodimus back to the sofa and reassessed his more serious cuts. Already most of them were healing nicely and just needed a change of dressings. In a few days they would probably be all gone and all he would have to worry about were the chips in his paint. Even then, Rodimus didn't seem too concerned with that right now.

        "Alright, we should be set to go now." Leaning back, Magnus looked at Rodimus, seeing him smiling for the first time.

        "Can you carry me?"

        "Of course."

* * *

 

On the walk back to the diner, Rodimus had fallen asleep against Magnus' chest, lulled by the warm air and the gentle back rubbing Magnus offered him from time to time. He kept himself secure against him, his little fingers jammed into a large seam as he slept.

        Off in the distance, Magnus could already make out the faint outline of Prowl's door wings twitching as he faced a green bot. When the green bot noticed them coming towards them, they clasped their hands together in joy.

        "Rodimus!" Kup cried out, seeing the little red and gold spot against Magnus' shoulder. "Rodimus!" The noise stirred the sparkling, making him sit up and listen. "Roddy!" His optics flickered brighter as he recognized the familiar tone.

        "Kup?" He half turned on Magnus' arm, seeing Kup. "Kup! Kup!" He reached out as Magnus set him down on the ground and watched him run. "Kup! Kup!" Tears freely flowed from Rodimus' optics, sobbing as he ran.

        "Rodimus." Kup rushed to him, falling to his knees and opening his arms, letting Rodimus slam into him and sob into his neck. "Oh thank Primus, Rodimus." Wrapping his arms around his little lost sparkling, Kup squeezed him tight, cuddling and kissing him all over, relieved to have him back. "Thank Primus, Rodimus I was so scared. I thought I lost you." He rocked back and forth, letting Rodimus cuddle into him and hug him back.

        "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" It was almost impossible to understand him as he sobbed so hard. "I'm sorry! I was so scared. The turbo hound... snacks... Archive... everybody was so mean to me"

        Standing next to Prowl, Magnus watched the two cry and rock with one another. His spark fluttered, glad he took Rodimus in. Something inside of him swelled, a pang of sorrow as something inside of him didn't want to give Rodimus up. Something about taking care of him made him happy, making breakfast... badly... made him happy. Maybe one day he would consider having one of his own.

        "You're safe now, I'm here. I'm here." Kup shushed Rodimus' sobs down to loud hiccups, his rocking slowing to something more soothing. "I'm here now, it's over."

        "Please don't get rid of me." Rodimus curled his little fingers into Kup's front plating, not wanting him to let him go. "I'm sorry, I won't leave again! Please, don't get rid of me." The constant flow of tears increased as he got himself worked up again, snot running from his nose and down his top lip.

        Frantically Kup tried to brush it all away, shaking his head at Rodimus.

        "Why would you think such a thing Roddy? I wouldn't trade you for the world." He kept brushing tears away, trying to calm him down.

        "Why didn't my Carrier want me?" He peeped out, his face scrunching up as he tried to hold back more sobs. "Why wasn't I enough?"

        "Rodimus," Kup hugged him tight, "you're enough for me. You have always been enough for me. Don't _ever_ think you are not good enough." Kissing those wet little cheeks, Kup stood up with Rodimus in his arms.

        "Can we go home now?" Rubbing his little eyes, Rodimus rested his head on Kup's shoulder, exhausted.

        "After a visit to Ratchet we are going home." One last kiss to the side of the head and Kup walked up to Magnus.

        "Thank you for taking care of him. I really can't thank you enough for taking him in. If there is ever anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

        "You're welcome. He's a tough one." Magnus smiled down at Rodimus who is reaching a little hand out to him. He took it, rubbing his large thumb over the top of his hand.

        Letting go, Magnus waved goodbye and watched Prowl and Kup walk off together, heading home where they belonged.

        A little golden hand popped up over Kup's shoulder, waving back at Magnus.

 

* * *

 

There had to be at least a dozen cookies on the plate, Rodimus taking one at a time and munching on them as Kup watched him from across the table.

        It was late now, the day having flown by since Rodimus had gotten back. There was a big lunch, a big dinner, and now the others were all asleep leaving just the two of them to spend some time together. Baking him some cookies and getting the two of them some warm energon, Kup just watched him eat, soaking him in.

        He stared on with heavy optics, just so glad to have him back and safe. He smiled when he saw Rodimus was also getting tired, his chewing slowed and his own little optics getting heavy. He tried hard to keep them online, wanting to enjoy this treat but losing the battle.

        "Tired?" He asked, tracing the top of his mug with one finger while he watched Rodimus nod to him sleepily. He set his half eaten cookie down, holding up his arms for Kup to pick him up, which he does.

        "Can I sleep with you tonight?" Rodimus asked as he is lifted and laid to rest against Kup's chest. "Please?" He yawned, snuggling into Kup's neck and letting his little optics close and offline.

        Without saying anything, Kup walked to the babe's room, opening the door and peeking in at the others to make sure they were all asleep before heading to his own room.

        Tossing the covers back and propping some pillows up to lean against, Kup got into bed with Rodimus' still in his arms. Already he was asleep, Rodimus was perfectly happy in his arms.  

        Pulling the covers over his legs and leaning back against all of his pillows, Kup very carefully laid Rodimus down in his arms and started to rock him back and forth. The pace was slow, comforting even as he rubbed his thumb against one of Rodimus' little cheeks.

        Taking a deep breath, he started to hum.


	10. Blurr Intro

"I have some news," Kup spoke as he turned from the stove, a large plate in his hand overflowing with pancakes, "some good news." Moving over to the table that was full of chatty babes, he started to place a few of the pancakes on each of their plates. "We are going to have a new family member soon. They will be joining us later in the afternoon, so I want you all to make sure you give him a warm welcome, okay?" Placing three pancakes on Drift's plate, Kup gave one of his finials a loving rub before moving on.

"Someone new?" Springer reached across the table, pulling the syrup over to himself, "Like one of us?" He fiddled with the cap, struggling to get it off at first. "Are they smaller? Bigger?" The cap popped off and Springer held the bottle with his little hands, tilting it towards his pancake and squeezing. "Can they transform?!" He gasped, squeezing the bottle a little too hard and spilling syrup all over his pancake and the table.

"Can they turn into a car? I bet when I learn to transform I'm going to be faster than them!" Rodimus piped up, his mouth filled with his breakfast. He hushed up as Kup walked by and gave his cheeks a gentle squeeze to remind him not to talk with his mouth full.

"Or a helicopter?" Whirl's neck extended suddenly, as far as everybody in the room knew; Whirl was the only flight worthy sparkling at the table. The prospect of someone like him seemed to interest him to the point he tilted his head and twitched his antenna thoughtfully. He chittered to himself and let his neck sink back down a bit, his bright yellow orb of an optics glistening with thought.

"Oh! What if he turns into a boat! Or... or a-" One of Drift's finials perked up as he held his little cup of juice, taking a quick sip and licking his lips before continuing, "a _beast mode_!" His little optics lit up and he took another sip of his juice.

"Well, we will have to wait and see. Though I will say I don't believe he can transform yet." Patting Whirl on the head as he walked around the table, Kup placed the remaining pancakes on the center of the table in case anybody wanted more.

Next, Kup started to pour juice into each babe's cup, making one pass around the table before finally sitting down and buttering up his own pancake. When he looked up, he noticed Drift’s enthusiastic look had suddenly faded and he was fingering the rim of his cup.

"Kup," Drift's finials sagged suddenly, as if afraid to say what he wanted, instead he avoided eye contact with the larger mech, just fiddling with his cup for a few seconds before finally speaking up, "Does that mean you are going to get rid of one of us, to make room for them when they get here?" He looked up quickly, locking eyes with Kup only a moment before putting his eyes back on his cup.

"No, Drift. There is plenty of room for our new family member, I wouldn't give any of you up for the world, don't worry." From across the table, Kup watched Drift's little finials perk up ever so slightly.

"Do you mean it?" The little white sparkling looked up now, his tone a little brighter. He smiled at Kup when he nodded and sipped his coffee. "Good." Sinking back into his chair and snatching his fork, Drift dove right into his fluffy pancakes.

 

* * *

 

It hadn't been until about noon time that there was a faint knock on the front door. It was followed by a much smaller knock, one almost too soft to hear.

"They're here! They're here!" Jumping up from the area he had been sitting, Rodimus knocked over the small block tower Springer had been working so hard to construct.

"Hey!" Springer snapped, getting up and pinching Rodimus' spoiler, only making the red and gold sparkling whirl around and pinch him back. "Stop!" They kept at it until Kup stepped into the room, placing his one hand on each of their heads and pulling them apart.

"Enough." He looked over to the sofa where Perceptor and Drift were sitting, a book spread between them. On the floor, beside where Rodimus and Springer had been playing, Whirl sat, a small police car gripped between two claws that he ran over the carpet and bumped into blocks. "Come on now, everybody up." Removing his hands from Springer and Rodimus' heads, Kup clapped his hands only once and in a matter of seconds all his babes were huddled around him. "Now, remember, he is new and probably nervous. We all remember what it was like coming here for the first time right?" Drift was really the only one to nod, considering Whirl was too busy fiddling with the toy car he hadn't left behind when he stood. "Good, now I expect you all to be on your best behavior while we have guests. Make sure he feels welcome, okay?"

"Okay!" Perceptor spoke up first, and Kup squeezed his shoulder and turned towards the door as there was another little knock.

"Coming!" Hurrying, the hoard of babes followed close behind, bumping into Kup as he stopped before the door and opened it. "It's good to see you, Windblade." Extending his hand to the slender jet, they clasped hands and shook.

"It's been awhile, hadn't it?" Her voice was as smooth as silk and as calming as a cool fall breeze.

Below her, hiding behind her legs, a little blue sparkling peaked out for only a moment. Just enough to show one optic, it jumped and hid back behind her leg when it noticed all the other babes hiding behind Kup's legs.

"And this is Blurr, correct?" Kneeling down, Kup leaned slightly to the side to try and get a better look at the sparkling.

"Yes, this is Blurr, the little one I have been messaging you about." She couldn't help a small giggle when Blurr peeked out again, and then snapped back behind her when he noticed Kup was closer. His little hands were on her legs, holding her tightly as if she might just fly away. "Blurr, why don't you say hello?" She tried to sidestep, but Blurr pressed his face into the back of her legs and shook his head.

Smiling, Kup stood up, wanting to give him a little bit of space.

"Please, come in, I have a fresh pot of coffee brewing, would you like some?" Stepping to the side and coaxing his own babes to move aside, Kup allowed Windblade into the house.

"I would love some, thank you." As she walked, Blurr stuck close to her legs, even reaching up to try and hold her hand, which she took the moment she felt him tapping her palm.

Closing the front door, Kup looked down at all of his babes. He reached out and put his hand on Whirl's head, rubbing it only a moment, then playing with his little antenna until he heard him chitter.

"You guys can go back to playing, let Blurr explore on his own time, alright?" He waited for his crew to nod, then ushered them back into the living room to continue what they had been doing before.

Once all of the babes had wandered off, Kup hastily made his way back to the kitchen to where Windblade had sat herself at the table. Beside her, Blurr stood, hiding his face into her side as she stroked the long blue crest piece that stuck out from the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, he normally isn't this shy."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure he will be alright when the others are around him. It just takes a while. It took Whirl almost a full month to get used to the others. He had an awful habit of pinching Rodimus when he got too close. I'm glad he seemed to grow out of it for the most part." He shrugged as he poured two cups of coffee and then turned and handed Windblade hers.

"Thank you," Sipping at the warm liquid, Windblade used her free hand to keep petting Blurr, feeling him shift against her every few minutes, "he's actually quite the lively little sparkling." She suddenly giggled to herself as she recalled the last week she had him. "He's very... fast. When he gets talking, he can talk to fast it will be hard to understand him. It's just how he is, so don't be surprised when it happens. He's very charming too, right?" She glanced down, smiling at Blurr who was looking up at her with big blue orbs. "He's just a sweetie."

"You don't want to keep him? You seem fond of him." He wasn't sure if he should have asked after he had said it. Windblade was young, and as far as he knew she hadn't had a sparkling herself yet either.

"Ah, as much as I would love to raise him, he loves to run, and I just don't live in a place he can do that. It wouldn't be fair to keep him pent up." Her expression softened as she stroked Blurr's little cheek with her thumb. "He deserves room to grow and run, and just be a sparkling. I just don't have what he needs right now." Looking back to Kup, she could see his small smile, the smile that let her know he understood. "Here, he has that. He can be loved, have friends, grow up and do what he wants. I want that for him, and I know you will take good care of him."

As they spoke, Blurr watched for a while, not really listening as his attention was quickly drawn over to the other room. Through the doorway he could see Rodimus, sitting with his back to him, playing with what he could only guess was a toy car. He watched him drag it across the carpet, then launch if off a little ramp to bring it back down while making an explosion noise.

Looking from Rodimus, up to Windblade, then back to Rodimus, Blurr made a small noise, a little torn as he wanted to go see what was going on, but also not wanting to leave the comfort of Windblade’s side.

After about five more minutes of watching Rodimus roll around on the floor, Blurr pulled away from Windblade and stepped forwards. Another, then another, and he inched his way across the kitchen until he could touch the door frame. From there he watched, now able to see the rest of the babes playing.

Across the room, Springer was rebuilding his castle with the help of Whirl, who carefully stacked blocks higher and higher with his claws. It didn't seem to interest him as much so he looked to the sofa, where Drift and Perceptor had returned to finish their book together. Again, that didn't seem to interest him and he brought his eyes down to meet the golden spoiler.

Lying on his belly, Rodimus maneuvered his little car through a course he had made, occasionally letting it break past a wall while making screeching noises as if it were going to crash.

Stepping out from the door frame, Blurr inched his way closer to Rodimus until he stood behind him. He rocked back and forth on his heels, his little arms behind his back as Rodimus noticed him and looked up. He just looked at him a moment, then his spoiler perked up.

"Do you like fast cars?" He sat up, turning so he could sit facing Blurr. He held up his car to show him. "This one is my favorite, it's almost as fast as me." It had a red and gold paint job, much like him.

"I'm pretty fast." Blurr pulled his hands around, now a little less nervous. He smiled and sat on his knees in front of Rodimus. "I'm faster than this." Tapping the car on the roof, he noticed Rodimus pull it close to himself suddenly.

"No way, nobody is faster than me. I race Springer all the time. Nobody can beat me."

"I can!" Despite Blurr's excitement, Rodimus seemed weary, but stood up. "Windblade and I run all the time together. We go to the park every few days and we run together. I'm even faster than her. Wanna race me? I always wanna race!" Tapping his little feet against the floor, Blurr watched as Rodimus stood next to him.

"Okay, first up and down the hall three times wins." Pointing with one golden finger, Rodimus smirked.

"Okay!" Getting lined up, Blurr got into position. Hunching over and putting his little hands on the floor, he looked up at a very confused Rodimus.

"Why are you standing like that?"

"It's how I race, ready?" Rodimus jumped to attention and got into his own position by putting one little leg out and leaning forwards.

"Go!" They took off, shoulder to shoulder down the narrow hall, Blurr easily taking the lead in one, two, three bounds.

They zipped by the kitchen door where Kup chuckled into his almost empty mug.

"Look at that," He downed the last of his coffee while Windblade turned around to see the two sparklings dash by again, "He's already fitting in just fine." Setting his mug down, He tilted his head and listened to the loud clatter of little metal feet against the hardwood.

There was shouting, now from the other sparklings rooting them on as they zipped by again. This time, Rodimus tripped, falling chest first down onto the floor and sliding so hard his little legs came up over his back.

Running past, Blurr skidded to a stop back in the living room, crossing his arms in victory as Rodimus picked himself up and sat on his knees.

He rubbed his chest, glaring at the blue mech bitterly.

"No fair! I tripped, it doesn't count!"

"It counts."

"Does not!" Standing up and clenching his little fists, the two of them pressed their chests together and squeaked. "I'm faster!"

"Nuh-uh!"

 

* * *

 

Once she had finished off her coffee and had her fill of small talk, Windblade let herself rise from her chair. She shook Kup's hand one more time and made her way out to the living area where all the babes had been calm now. Both Blurr and Rodimus had settled, now playing with a bucket of cars with one another before Blurr noticed Windblade.

He smiled, then immediately frowned as he knew what was coming, and he could tell by that soft smile on her face. The one that told him it was time for her to go, and it was time for him to say goodbye.

"Blurr," Kneeling down next to Blurr, Windblade lovingly cupped his cheeks, "listen closely to me, okay?" Her spark sank a bit as she could see tears welling up under his eyes. Quickly, she tried to rub them away. "I want you to be a good boy, okay? I want you to listen to Kup, and I want you to make sure you don't run in the house. Don't scuff the floors, and make sure to brush your denta at night, okay?" She brushed a tear away as it streaked down Blurr's white cheek. "Okay?"

"I want to go home with you."

"I know you do, but it's better here for you. You remember what we talked about right? You get to play here and run all you want."

"But," He sniffled, trying to run his hand under his nose, but Windblade stopped him, "I like running with you."

"I know you do, and we can still run. Every weekend you and I are going to run. Just you and me, at the park like we always did, okay?" That seemed to make him feel better, and he nodded. "Good." Leaning forwards, Windblade kissed the top of Blurr's head and stood.

Waving to Blurr, she waited for him to raise his little hand and wave goodbye to her too. Once he put his hand down, she closed the door.

"Mnh-" Tears welled under his eyes again, and he felt something strange touch his hand. When he looked down and saw a large claw in his palm and the large golden optics belonging to the one and only Whirl, he sighed.

"She will come back. Just like when Prowl comes back, and eyebrows. They come back."  Tugging Blurr back over to the toys, together they sat.


	11. Whirl's Allowance

One by one Kup handed down a plate to Drift who was standing on a chair by his side holding a little washcloth. Upon receiving the dish he was quick to dry it off, place it on the rack and wait for Kup to wash and hand over another.

            Shuffling around behind them, Perceptor reached into several paper grocery bags. Removing fruits, bread, and an assortment of snacks, he set them all on the table to be sorted. One by one he moved items that needed to be refrigerated to one side, and items to be put into the cupboards on another side. From there he jumped down, filling his arms with the fruits and making his way to the fridge to set them safely in the drawers.

            By the door, Springer stood by patiently as he watched Blurr struggle to tie a knot on the trash bag's top. He mumbled to himself when the knot kept coming undone until finally it seemed secure enough for the two of them to pick it up. Together they hauled it down the hall, staggering a bit as it was heavy and dropping it only once, maybe twice, then set it down by the front door for Kup to take out later.

            Rodimus, who had the sole duty to pick up any leftover toys before dinner and put them away, would rush from room to room doing so. Even though he had a bad habit of doing it _right_ before dinner, the job did get done. Even if he also had an extra bad habit of sitting and playing with all the stray toys he found. No matter, once dumped into the toy chest, his job was complete.  

            For Whirl, his specific duty was to make the beds before breakfast. More often than not he would make sure to give each bed a proper bounce test before finally folding the covers over and doing his best to make sure there were no creases.

            It was simple enough work for all and at the end of the week they were rewarded for it. Though one credit might not have been much to Kup, handing the shiny piece over to each babe seemed to excite them. It hadn't been enough to buy expensive toys but their concept of money lacked enough that it seemed like they were rich every time they received one.

            "One for you," Kup placed a credit in Perceptor’s hand, "Thank you for putting the groceries away." He patted Perceptor on the head before looking to Rodimus. "One for you, and you, and you," Rodimus jumped and held his credit in the air triumphantly while Springer and Blurr both just smiled. "And last but not least, Whirl." Holding out the credit to Whirl, Kup waited for him to pinch it between his claws, only letting it go when he knew Whirl had a good grip on it.

            Bringing the chit up to his optics, the yellow orb swirled and narrowed. There had been no noise of joy like the others, no jumping, and certainly no expression of joy on his barren face. Instead he inspected it for a brief time only moving it away from his optic when he was ready to tuck it into his subspace for safe keeping.

            "Can we go to the store now?" Kup's attention was pulled away from Whirl as he felt small fingers pulling on one of his own. "It's not dark out yet, there is still time. We can make it!" Below, Rodimus gave him puppy eyes, even emphasizing his sad little face by wiggling his bottom lip. "Pleeeease~" Kup watched his little spoiler flutter.

            "Alright, alright," He could see the other babes making puppy faces at him too, and they were lucky they were so cute, "but we have to be quick. It's still light out but only for another hour and it will get chilly." With the fall season on its way the air was brisk, and soon he would be wrapping them up in scarves and little mittens.

           

* * *

 

Jumping up and down on the sensory mat that controlled the sliding glass doors, Rodimus was soon joined by Springer. The moment the hefty green babe stepped onto the pad the doors slid open, granting them entrance.

            “No running, don’t break anything.” Kup trailed behind, each hand occupied by Blurr and Drift’s own little hands. He released them when they got into the store, allowing them to go their own separate ways while he waited by the door.

            Across the room, Whirl moved about, poking at a few items but never really putting his full attention on anything. The only thing that ever really seemed to catch his attention where the pinwheels stuffed inside of a tube hanging from a shelf.

            With a thick claws he would reach up and poke it, spinning it and watching the arrangement of colors blend together. On rare occasions he would remove it from the tub it sat in and hold it in front of his face.

            Watching closely from behind, Kup smiled as Whirl continued to spin the wheel. For a moment he was sure Whirl would want it but frowned when he watched him put it back into place.

            It had only been a month since Kup had started to give them an allowance, and in the three times he had brought the babes to the store, Whirl had been the only one to never buy anything.

            “Whirl,” Kup stepped forwards, kneeling down by the chopper, “you don’t want this? You seem to like it.” More than once he had caught Whirl playing with it, maybe he was just indecisive.

            Whirl looked at the pinwheel and shook his head.

            “Is there anything in here you want? You didn’t get anything last time either.” He saw Whirl’s optic swirl and narrow and there was a small chitter that escaped him but no real answer right away.

            “Haven’t found anything yet.” Looking down, Whirl started to pinch at his own claws stopping when there was a sudden commotion behind one of the aisle shelves.

            “We’re ready!” Springer was first to bound around, his arms overflowing with goodies. Behind him Rodimus came, bumping into him and dropping all the snacks he had managed to collect.

            “Oh no no no, there is _way_ too much here,” Sidestepping to block their path to the register, Kup crossed his arms, “Go put some of that back.” A unified whine, they turned and stomped their way back into the aisle. Returning only a few seconds later with two candies apiece, Kup stepped to the side and allowed them by.        

            The countertop was a good foot taller than any of the babes, and when Drift stepped forwards he had to stand on the tips of his toes to slide his candy up.

            “These two, please.” He put his credit down on the counter and pushed it as far as his little fingers could reach until the cashier took it. The others did the same, Perceptor needing to be lifted by Kup in order to hand his credit over.

            Meanwhile, Whirl stood back, waiting for them to finish and extending his neck when Kup turned to him and waved him on to follow him out.

         

* * *

 

 

The sky had faded to a lunch orange, adding a lovely fall glow to the world around them as they left the corner store. Already the air had been prickled with the slightest chill, signaling them colder days were to come.

            Trailing behind the group, Whirl watched Kup swing Rodimus up and sit him on his shoulders. Next he took Drift and Perceptor’s hands into his own once more and trucked on. More than once he had to yell to Blurr not to run and to wait. Springer had been walking at least a few paces in front of Kup, munching happily on his candy.

            As they walked along the narrow curb that passed shop after shop, each getting ready to close for the night when one in particular caught Whirl’s attention.

            He paused by the large glass display window, his antenna twitching as his sensors picked up a sweet smell. Something had had smelt before, a long time ago.

            There, behind the glass, displayed perfectly on several racks laid all sorts of cakes and goodies. Mere inches from his narrow face, displayed on cute pink wax paper were several donuts. Some glazed, others drizzled with a pink and brown frosting. Some had sprinkles, others were bare but all looked wonderful.

            Tapping the glass with one claw, Whirl chittered to himself as he honed in on a strawberry frosted donut.

     

* * *

 

 

_The front door rattled as a fist pounded on it, and as Prowl opened it his door wings fluttered in delight._

_“You’re a lifesaver, Jazz.” Accepting the relatively medium sized box, Prowl stepped back and allowed Jazz to enter his home. “These are the ones from that bakery on the corner?”_

_“The one I know you like.” A smirk crossed Jazz’s face as Prowl’s door wings flapped in excitement. “Figures you could use some.”_

_Across the room, Whirl popped his head out from under the sofa to get a look at the commotion. Upon seeing Jazz his optic rotated and widened, curious. The moment Jazz looked over to him, he sucked his head back under the sofa to hide._

_“Still have the little guy huh?” Stepping close to the sofa and kneeling down, Jazz lifted the flap to try and see Whirl, only hearing him hiss._

_“Yeah, I just finished the paperwork for the case this morning.”_

_“Does he always hide under here?” Jazz stood, stepping back to give Whirl his space again only to join Prowl by his desk._

_“Mostly. Keeps him out of trouble if he wants to stay under there. I caught him pulling all of my books off the shelves this morning.” Setting the box down, Prowl flipped the top open and smiled down at the delightful rows of donuts._

_Popping his head back out, Whirl watched with a curious optic as Prowl removed one of the sweet treats. Glittered with sprinkles and pink frosting, it was probably the first time he had ever seen Prowl actually smile. Which was strange considering he was convinced Prowl had a permanent angry look._

_Handing Jazz a chocolate frosted one, Prowl brought his selected treat to his mouth and sank his teeth into it. His door wings wilted, and he sighed in content, enjoying his treat to the fullest._

_“Thanks for these.”_

_“No problem, man. I was in the neighborhood, figured I would drop by, and the bakery was on the way.” Gently, Jazz elbowed Prowl and together they laughed. For what felt like hours they chatted, leaving Whirl to watch them from afar._

_Optic growing heavy, it dimmed, flickering back to life when he heard Jazz or Prowl laughed. When they settled and went back to casual talking, Whirl would find himself fading out once more. At some point he realized he must have fallen asleep, considering when he jerked awake the room was dark and both cop bots were gone._

_The only thing different was a napkin placed in front of where he had laid his head, a strawberry frosted donut resting on it. Just for him._

 

* * *

 

“Whirl.” Whirl didn’t move. “Whirl!” His neck extended and he cocked his head to the side, suddenly realizing he had let his mind wander off. “Whirl?” He looked to his side, seeing Kup and the others standing a few feet away from him. They had all stopped at the end of the curb just before the crosswalk. Having realized Whirl wasn’t present for the headcount before crossing, Kup had looked back to see him just staring into the shop. “What are you doing?” Removing Rodimus from his shoulders and setting him down, Kup walked over to Whirl’s side and knelt down. “Is something wrong?”

            There was no response, just like in the store, Whirl just shrugged and looked back into the shop, optics locking onto that donut.

            “How much is that?” He suddenly piped up, bringing his claw to the glass and tapping on it in the direction of the sweet. “That one, right there, with the pink.” He kept tapping, not looking at Kup.

            “The donut?” Kup watched Whirl nod. “I believe they are 99 cents, why?” Again a long pause, then Whirl suddenly reached around into his subspace and removed all of the credits he had. Holding one claw out flat he placed each credit on the flat surface and poked at them.

            Almost as if trying to count them, his antenna drooped when he couldn’t seem to figure it out. As far as he knew he didn’t have enough but at the same time he wasn’t exactly sure how far he had to go.

            “How much is this?” He held his claw out to Kup, showing him the credits. He pushed his claw closer when Kup gave him a curious look.

            “Well,” Kup moved the credits one by one across Whirl’s claw, “you have thirty cents here in credits so far. If you want the donut you need sixty more.” He saw Whirl’s antenna droop.

            “I want to get it for Prowl.”

            “Prowl?” Kup watched Whirl nod and put his credits back into his subspace.

            “He likes them. I remember, he used to eat them and his wing things did that thing.”

            “That thing?”

            “This.” Wiggling his little wing, Whirl pointed. “Like this.”

            “Oh, I see.” Standing back up and patting Whirl on the head, Kup smiled. “Well, you’ll just have to keep saving.” It would take Whirl a few more weeks of saving, but he accepted that and moved on with the group, more determined now than ever.

 

* * *

 

Week after week Whirl added to his stash, doing his chores as quickly and as best as he could to make sure he earned another credit to ad to his slowly growing pile. Immediately upon getting a new credit, Whirl would dump his pile in the living room and count them. Despite getting stuck with his numbers a few times, Perceptor always sat with him and helped.

            Only thirty more to go.

            Twenty.

            Ten.

_One._

Finally, Whirl jumped for joy when he was handed his last credit. Keeping it pinched between two claws, he held it up in victory. Hunkering his neck down into his frame, he giggled to himself and nuzzled the little chit, immediately adding it with the others in his subspace.

            “Can we go now? Please, can we go?” Tugging at Kup’s hand Whirl expanded his optic, having taken a puppy look lesson from the master himself, Rodimus. “Please.”

            “Alright, alright, we can go. We just have to wait for Rung to get here.” Practically screeching with delight, Whirl threw his head back and tapped his feet on the floor.

            “Wait,” He paused his dancing and looked up at Kup, “Why is caterpillar eyebrows coming here?”

            “Because, it’s just you and me going to the bakery, then to visit Prowl. I thought you wanted to visit Prowl on your own.” Smiling as Whirl’s antenna flicked upward in delight, he nodded to the little mech. “He shouldn’t be long.”

            To Whirl, the extra twenty minute wait had felt like a century, but the moment the thick eyebrowed mech walked through the door, Whirl snatched Kup’s hand and practically dragged him from the house and down the street.

           

* * *

 

 

It had taken only a few minutes to reach the bakery, considering it was only a block and a half from the house and Whirl had set off at a gallop. He skidded to a halt in front of the door, having left Kup in the dust a bit, he tap danced in place as he waited for the panting mech to catch up.

“ _Huff…. Huff_ … okay… go on in.” Hunching over a bit and bracing himself on one knee, Kup grabbed and pulled the door open for Whirl, hearing a little bell suddenly chime.

Darting into the store and up to the counter, Whirl extended his neck to its farthest length and dumped every credit he had on the counter top.

“That one, please!” He pointed behind the cashier, at the rack of fresh donuts and the perfect glazed pink one. His little feet started to tap in place as he watched the worker grab and bag his treat, setting it in front of him and cashing him out.

Snapping the bag between two claws, he turned to Kup, optics glistening and skipped out of the shop.

 

* * *

 

Dipping and dodging around mechs in the prescinct, Whirl ducked between a mech’s legs and zipped his way to the back of the building. He was certain Prowl’s office was still there, why wouldn’t it be? He was grumpy and never wanted to be disturbed, what better way to have that than have a back office.

            Skidding to a stop with his little brown baggie in his claws, Whirl paused before a door what was slightly cracked. Above the nameplate read “Prowl.”

            Nudging the door open, Whirl spotted the familiar red chevron, and immediately he was overjoyed.

            “Prowl!” Half startling the police bot, Prowl looked up to see Whirl skipping his way over to him.

            “Whirl? What are you doing-” Prowl paused as Whirl came to a stop in front of him, holding up the little brown bag.

            “I saved to get you this. It took me all month.” Releasing the bag when Prowl took it, Whirl stepped back and waited patiently. He pinched at his own claws, anxious with anticipation to see what Prowl thought.

            “What is it?” He opened it, and his door wings suddenly sagged. Looking from the bag down at Whirl who tapped his feet on the floor, back to the bag, he sighed and smiled. “A donut.”

            “For you!” There was that familiar chitter, the kind Whirl only made when he was happy. His optics flickered and squinted, making his expressionless face look almost pleased.

            Curling the top of the bag closed, Prowl watched Whirl’s wings suddenly sag. He tilted his head, confused that his gift didn’t seem acceptable, but when Prowl spoke up he stood at attention.

            “Let’s go outside.” Placing his hand on the top of Whirl’s head, Prowl guided him through the building. On the way out through the lobby Kup stood, chatting with Jazz who threw up finger guns as they passed.

            As they stepped outside, Whirl looked up at Prowl again, still confused until they walked over to a bench.

            “Sit.” Prowl said as he sat himself down, patting the bench next to himself and putting the bag in his lap. From there he unrolled it and removed the donut.

            Climbing up next to Prowl, Whirl scooted himself close, watching the cop bot closely. He jerked his neck up a bit when Prowl broke the donut in half and handed him a piece.

            Looking from the donut up to Prowl, Whirl chittered and accepted it.

            Sitting back, he held it between his claws, swinging his legs over the benches end, purring.


	12. Halloween Special

Poking the scissors through the fabric, Kup did his best to snip big ovals through the center of the sheet. Around and around he went until one hole seemed big enough, then he stabbed through another spot only an inch or two away from the other and repeated the process.

        Below him, Drift watched and waited patiently. His little finials twitched and he smiled as he watched the mech work. He seemed more amused by the fact Kup had a long devil tail extending from his back and two large red horns protruding from the sides of his head. While he waited he plays with the tail’s tip.

        Behind the two of them, Rodimus stood in the living room, adjusting the large straps on his shoulders that secured the large bottom of his pumpkin costume. Beside him, Blurr who also had a pumpkin suit was stepping into his. Sliding the straps over his arms, he let it settle down by his waist.

        "There is so much room in this thing." Blurr looked down through his pumpkin suit, seeing his own little feet.

        "More room for candy!" Placing his little fists on his now plump pumpkin hips, Rodimus smirked. "There is no way this bucket is going to be enough," Holding up a matching pumpkin bucket, Rodimus cocked his head to the side and giggled to himself "I'm going to stuff it all in my suit!" Wiggling the suit with his free hand, he tried to ignore Blurr's skeptical look.

        A small frustrated sigh sounded from behind them, and they looked over to see Perceptor struggling to tie a knot with the long black strings to his cloak. His little fingers couldn't quite get a good grip, and the strings were far too long and messy.

        "Stupid string things." His words were slurred and the fake fangs he had in his mouth popped out a bit. Stuffing them back in, he slurped, drooling a bit as the false fangs didn't quite fit his mouth properly. "This is harder than I thought." Shoulders sagging, Perceptor looked down to where Springer had been sitting on his knees beside him. Together they had been sharing the mirror, Springer sitting a lot closer to it than Perceptor.

        "How does this look?" Looking up at the little red mech, Springer smiled. Scrawled across his face were several attempts at what could be made out to be stitches, or at least Springer's idea of what they looked like. One long black line connected from one part of his face to the next with little black tick marks to act as the stitches. "All I could find to draw them on was this-" Holding up the marker to Percy, he blinked when Percy took it from him.

        "Some would look good here." Drawing some lines on the top of Springer's head, Percy stepped back and capped the marker "There." He watched Springer look in the mirror and smile.

        "Whoa! I look so cool!" Reaching down to his side, he picked up two little bolts and tried to stick them to the sides of his head.

        "RAAWR!~" Jumping from the washroom and landing large feet on the floor, Whirl raised his claws and snapped them in the air. "I'm a shark!" The shark suit covered most of his body, nothing but his arms and legs stuck out from the bottom and sides. The shark’s mouth had been open and inside, Whirl's head could be seen, but it sagged and shut, forcing Whirl to grab it and push it back open. "I'm a shark! Ra-" Spinning around, Whirl looked into the kitchen to where Kup was sitting. "Kup! Kup!" Clomping his way down the hall, Whirl's shark suit's tail dragged along the floor behind him. "Kup!" Rushing to Kup's side, Whirl slid to a stop by his side, the shark's mouth falling closed over his head again. "Kup!" Pulling it open, he could see he had Kup's attention.

        "When is eyebrows coming?" The shark mouth sagged and he stuck his claw under it, keeping it propped up. "You said this morning that when the sun goes down eyebrows will be here, the sun's already going down."

        "I'm sure Rung is on his way; just give him another ten minutes." Holding up the sheet, Kup inspected the holes he had cut then looked down at Drift. "Ready?" He waited for Drift to nod before tossing the sheet over him. Helping Drift pull it down so the holes matched where his little eyes were, Kup sat back and hummed to himself.

        Well, Drift didn't look much like a ghost considering his finials seemed to keep the sheet from falling all the way down. Instead two jagged points stuck up from the sheets, twitching each time Drift’s finial moved.

        "Hold on, let me fix this." Pulling the sheet back off of Drift, Kup returned his scissors to the fabric. Snipping here and there, he added two more holes, slightly larger than the eye holes. "Alright, try this." Tossing the sheet back over Drift, Kup helped guide Drift's finials through the new holes and readjust it to his eyes "There we go much better!" Drift bounced in place, twirling around in his sheet and flapping his arms about.

        "Kup! Kup, I can't get my bolts to stick-" Springer popped up by Kup's side next, holding the two plastic bolts up to Kup. "They won't stay." He whined, suddenly stopping when he noticed Kup’s curious look.

        "Springer, what did you draw on your face with?" Taking Springer's little chin into his hand, Kup gently nudged it up to get a better look at Springer's face.

        "Marker."

        "Marker? You were supposed to use the washable pen... not the-" Running his free hand over his face, Kup just smiled to himself and licked his thumb. Rubbing it against Springer's cheek, he smudged a bit of the marker, but it stayed mostly in place. Oh well, a good scrub later would get it off, it would have to do for now. "Don't draw on yourself anymore, or anybody else." Taking the plastic bolts from Springer's little hand, Kup reapplied some of the sticky goo and coaxed the green babe close. "Hold still," Sticking the bolts to the sides of Springer's head, Kup held them there for a moment, "there we go." Slowly releasing the bolts, Kup watched them for a moment to make sure they didn't sag.

        "Perfect! Thank you!" Standing as Springer whirled around and rushed back into the living room, Kup followed slowly behind.

        "Come on everybody," Kup clapped his hands, "I want a picture, get together!" Picking up his data pad from the end table, he waited for all the babes to gather in a neat little line in front of the fireplace.

        "I can't tie my thing," Percy paused in front of Kup before getting in line with the others, "I can't get it."

        "Let me see." Kneeling down, Kup took the ties and quickly knotted them together. "There we go." He made a neat little bow and stood, letting Percy take his spot next to Drift. "Alright, hold still everybody." Getting up and holding up the data pad, Kup lined the photo up. He smiled as he watched all the babes before him also smile and take up different poses. As Whirl shifted his shark’s mouth closed right as Kup snapped the picture.

        As Kup tried to pull up the image to view, the faint sound of the doorbell caused him to look up.

        "It's open." He shouted, taking another snapshot as the babes began to move back about.

        "It's just me." Rung's gentle voice could be heard from down the hall and in a few moments he was standing in the doorway. His antenna twitched when he spotted everybody and their cute costumes. "How lovely! Look at them all, so cute." Looking down the moment his hand was tugged, Rung smiled at the large shark nose pointed up at him.

        "Am I scary?" Whirl's voice was muffled, and when he pulled the shark’s mouth open he spoke again. "Am I?" The large golden orb that made up Whirl's optic blinked, and his antenna wiggled when he watched Rung smile at him.

        "Very scary indeed." He couldn't help a small chuckle the moment he heard Whirl chitter in delight. He tapped his feet, turned back to the others, and skipped off, his tail trailing closely behind.

        "No costume?" Kup smirked at Rung as he handed him the data pad, showing him the cute little picture. "How is the activity outside?" Turning to the coffee table, Kup picked up a small plastic bag and pulled out a few glow stick packages.

        "It would have been awkward to be a third pumpkin." Rung chuckled to himself as he looked over the picture. "I saw a few people out on my way here. It was still a bit light out but it seems to be dark now." Rung watched Kup remove glow stick packages from his back and tear them open. Handing a few to Rung, they cracked them together and gave them a good shake. "Prowl has a few patrols out, just to make sure things are safe, close to Ratchet's clinic seems to be a designated treat area."

        "Good, I was planning on taking that route anyway, seemed safer, less traffic." Turning to the patiently waiting babes, Kup held out the glow sticks. "Come on everyone, grab your buckets and a glow stick so we can head out."

        Quickly the babes snatched their pumpkin buckets and lined up in front of Rung or Kup. One by one they took a glow stick, tying it to either their bucket or their wrists.

        "Make sure to keep them out in the open so you are seen in the dark." There was really no worry about being shrouded in complete darkness at any point. The neighborhood was well lit and with Prowl and his team scouting the area there was truly nothing to worry about.  

        "Alright, let's head out." Waving his little group on, Kup walked with them to the front door and opened it. "Stay close, no running, there is plenty of time and candy out there, okay?" There was a small unified _okay_ that followed as the babes pushed past Kup to stand on the front step.

        "Come on! Come on! Let's go! Let's go before all the good candy is gone!" Rodimus jumped on the sidewalk, waving his bucket in the air as he waited as patiently as possible for the others. "All the big candy bars will be gone if we don't hurry!"

        "There isn't enough?" Through slightly uneven eye holes, Drift looked up at Kup, having to hold his sheet up as he stepped down the three front steps as to not trip.

        "There will be plenty, don't worry." Drift's finials perked up as he heard Rung speak behind him. "Rodimus is just being impatient, I am sure you will have lots of goodies by the end of the night." Patting Drift's head as he walked by, together they walked down the sidewalk.

        Whirl, trotting up to Rung's side, reached up and slipped one claw into the cream colored hand. As Rung looked down, he smiled as Whirl poked his head out of the shark's mouth and hummed.

        In front of them, Drift and Perceptor followed closely behind Kup. Holding onto Kup's devil tail, Perceptor walked side by side with the little ghost. In front of them all, Blurr, Springer, and Rodimus has a head start on the group.

        "No running, make sure to stay where I can see you." Kup warned the babes ahead of him as they reached a crosswalk. They waited obediently for the group to catch up, and together they crossed.

        Ratchet's clinic had only been a few blocks away and they had been lucky enough the night was nice. There had been a gentle breeze; chilly at first, and soon it would be that time of the year that little mittens and scarfs would need to be bought.

        "There's our first stop." A single pumpkin had been placed outside of the clinic's doors. A grumpy face had been carved into it, lightly glowing as the candle inside flickered.

        As the automatic doors slide open, Ratchet who had been sitting at the front desk looked up in time to see a flood of babes rush in.

        Drift, stepping on the front of his sheet fell forward. Struggling to get back up, he rushed right to the counter. Much taller than him even standing on the tips of his feet, Drift tried his best to see Ratchet.

        "Trick or treat!" He blurted out along with the others. Holding his bucket up, his finials twitched forward when he saw Ratchet smile.

        "Well now, what have we here?" Leaning over the counter to get a better look at the group, Ratchet nodded to Kup and Rung as they entered the lobby.

        "It's me! Drift!" Drift jumped up, his sheet falling a bit over his eyes and forcing him to adjust it to see Ratchet. "I'm a ghost!"

        "That you are." Leaning back over the counter, Ratchet picked up a bowl he had sitting next to him. "Here you go." Fishing around in the bowl and dropping a few candies into each of the babe's buckets, Ratchet watched them all jump around in excitement at their first haul. "Don't eat too much all at once, alright?" Giving Drift's head a pet and one of his little finials a gentle rub, Ratchet waved to him as he turned around and rushed back to Kup.

        "Thank you, Ratchet." Kup waved to the doctor who nodded to them. Sitting back down at his desk, he waved at Drift next, who again tripped over his sheet.

        Back outside, Rung directed the little group up the street towards a series of well lit houses. Already there were several other groups of sparklings running about from door to door chanting their single line and receiving goodies for it.

        "I want to ring the bell to the next house!" Springer, already making a mad dash for the first house closest to them, felt someone bump at his side.

        "No I do!" Bumping Springer with his pumpkin body, Rodimus’ bolted ahead, much faster than the bulky babe.

        "I called it!" It hadn't mattered, already on the front steps of the next house; Rodimus pressed the bell and waited with his bucket extended. As the others hoarded around him, Rodimus let an adorable smile spread across his face.

        "This is their first Halloween, isn't it?" Rung listened to the babes chant, and cheer as candy was tossed their way.

        "As far as I know, it is." Kup watched his cluster of sparklings rush across the grass towards the next house, and slowly he and Rung followed them. "If I can give them a few good holidays then I will. Though I sort of regret letting them pick their own costumes. Mostly Whirl." Pointing at Whirl, together they watched the shark suit bounce across the yard. He skidded to a stop a moment, inspecting a Halloween decoration in one yard and then suddenly jumping back when a fake hand popped from the ground.  

        House after house, they ran, one by one holding out their buckets and taking candy and treats of all kinds. As an hour passed, the group slowed, and one by one they tired out.

        Perceptor had been the first to walk up to Kup, his little pumpkin bucket nearly full. Reaching up and tugging on Kup's hand, he waited for Kup to look down at him.

        "Can you carry me, my feet hurt." His little cape blew in the wind, and in his free hand he held onto his fake fangs, tired of keeping them in his mouth.

        Without hesitation, Kup took Perceptor’s bucket from him and scooped him up into his arms. Allowing Percy to sit on his forearm, he shuffled through the bucket and handed him a lollipop from the inside.

        "Are you done for the night? Or do you want me to bring you to the door?"

        "I'm done, I have plenty." Nibbling on the top of his treat, Perceptor extended it and offered Kup a lick, and he did.

        "Alright." They continued to walk from house to house for only a half an hour more before the group gathered around Kup and Rung's feet.

        With his sheet tossed back over his head, Drift looked up with tired eyes at Kup, his little pumpkin bucket dragging on the ground it was so full.

        "Are we almost done?" He sounded tired, and from the looks of it, he was. The others around him had also slowed down, Rodimus and Blurr really being the only two babes left running around to the last two houses.

        "Yes, let's just wait for the others and we can start home." Together they waited, and once joined by the two little speedsters they began their trek home.

       

* * *

 

Upon unlocking and opening the door to their home, the babes pushed past Kup and rushed into the living room. From there they sat on the soft carpet and rubbed their little sore feet.

        "My arms were getting tired from carrying my bucket." Blurr, sitting on his knees and still in his costume like all the others upturned his bucket and dumped out his haul. Running his hands through the goodies, he started to separate them by color.

        Standing close to Blurr, Rodimus grabbed the sides of his pumpkin costume and gave it a good shake. Immediately, candies began to rain down from the inside of the costume, bouncing all over the floor until finally it was empty.

        "See, I told you I could fit more candy in my suit." Smugly, Rodimus grabbed his bucket and tipped it over as well. Grabbing for a few chocolates, he unwrapped them and stuffed a few in his mouth.

        "Don't eat too much now, you'll make yourself sick." Kup entered the room, Percy still in his arms. "Just a few and then back into your buckets for the night." Setting Perceptor down so he could join the others, Kup turned to Rung. "Coffee?"

        "I would love some, thank you." Sitting on the sofa while Kup went to boil a pot, Rung watched over the babes.

        "Ew, I don't like these." Holding up a candy wrapped in blue, Springer tossed it in the center of the circle, offering it to whoever wanted it. Back and forth they tossed candies, some reaching in and grabbing, others trading one another.

        With the shark’s mouth closed and Whirl's head hidden, he picked up a piece of candy and pushed it in, not bothering to open the mouth anymore.

        "Here we are, nice and hot." Kup reentered the room, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand that he allowed Rung to take gingerly.

        Plopping down next to the narrow doctor, Kup sipped at his drink, just watching the excitement.

        "Look at them," Kup said before taking a sip of coffee, "so happy." He sighed, smiling when Perceptor pushed a stack of candies towards Drift and Drift traded him a few lollipops. "What am I going to do when they grow up?" He heard Rung grunt in response.

        "That won't be for awhile. You still have plenty more Halloweens to go, scuffed knees, lost teeth, armor refitting. There is still plenty of time to be a good carrier, which you are, even if they are not directly from your coding." Rung sipped at his coffee again, watching the babes settle before him and yawn.

        When all the candy had been traded and put back into their buckets, they pulled off their costumes and sat together around the TV. Spooky shows had been playing all day, and despite the possible nightmares they would have later, they had insisted staying up and watching.

        And as Kup had predicted, every single one slept by his side that night.


	13. Winter Special

“Let me see, let me see!” Pacing back and forth, Rodimus tried to squeeze himself onto the already packed sofa. Barely being able to pop between Springer and Blurr, Rodimus gawked out the window with the rest of them. “Whoa.” Spoiler sagging and optics rotating wide, Rodimus’ little jaw dropped.

               Snow, silent but steady, littered the front yard before them.

               “There’s so much.” Springer leaned forward from the group, practically pressing his face against the glass only to have it fog up. “There must be… there has to be at least a hundred feet already on the ground!” Quickly wiping away the fog, Springer and the others continued to gawk.

               Perhaps not a hundred feet had fallen, but a decent amount had covered the grass and the street. Though the day before had yielded no snow, the lingering dark clouds above had foretold the morning’s forecast. Having started to snow while the babes had been tucked away warm in their beds, they had awoken to quite the wonderland. No doubt this meant a day to play around in the freshly fallen fluff.

               “What is it?” Whirl was next to lean closer to the glass, his single golden optic narrowing and shrinking. Whatever this was it didn’t make sense, he had been around for quite some time and had never seen something as silly as white chunks falling from the sky. “Why is this rain weird?”

               “It’s not exactly rain.” Perceptor spoke up without looking at Whirl, instead he himself was practically pressed to the windows glass, taking in as much as possible. “It’s snow, frozen rain, rain that freezes in the clouds and comes down like this-” He pointed at the falling flakes, finally looking at Whirl after a second. Even without a face he could see Whirl was still confused, but instead he made no fuss about it.

               Stepping into the room with arms full of scarves, mittens, and little booties, Kup paused and smiled at the site before him. Packed like a bunch of sardines on the tiny sofa, all the babes had kept their attention outside, not even registering he had entered the room until he cleared his intake.

               “Can we go out? Can we play in it?” Drift’s finials perked up as he looked over his shoulder at Kup. Already everybody else around him was sliding off the sofa, rushing over to his feet. “Can we?” Drift slid off last, totting over and standing behind the group as Kup knelt to their level.

               “Yes, we can, but you have to put these on first. You guys are still too small for the cold not to affect you yet.” By the time they would receive their third armor upgrade they could walk freely in fridge temperatures, but at their current size, they still needed protection. The last thing Kup wanted was for their little joints to freeze.

               Setting the pile of clothing down as Rodimus was the first to step forward to be dressed, Kup pulled a scarf out of the pile. Tossing it over Rodimus and wrapping it around his neck, he looped it and tied it loosely around the little speedster’s neck.

               “Put these on.” Next, Kup handed him a set of mittens and a pair of red winter boots decorated with yellow flames. Naturally.

               One by one the babes prompted themselves in front of Kup, sticking out their neck so Kup could tie their scarves and presenting their little hands to him so he could slide their mittens on.            

               With no hands, Whirl had been the only exception to the gloves, and since the booties were not going to fit his feet, Kup had to come up with an alternative.

               “I know they look silly, but they will keep your legs warm.” Sliding two blue fluffy legwarmers up Whirl’s narrow legs, Kup sat back and watched the little mech extend and look at his legs. His head tilted to one side and his antenna twitched. “Warm?” Kup slid Whirl’s scarf into his hand and waited for him to look up.

               “Do you think Eyebrows wears leg warmers? Orange ones?” Whirl watched as Kup tossed the scarf over his head and tied it.

               “I don’t think Rung needs leg warmers.”

               “His legs are pretty big, I mean… they look like legwarmers.” Tapping one of the prongs on his long face, Whirl’s optics flickered in thought.

               “Kup! Kup, come on, I wanna go outside!” tapping frantically at Kup’s back, Blurr whined. He jogged in place, his little blue snow boots squeaking on the wooden floor.

               “Okay, okay, does everybody have their mittens on? Scarfs? Boots?” Standing and placing his hands on his hips, Kup smiled as they all jumped around him and pulled at his hands. “Okay, okay, come on, let’s go.”

               Leading his hoard down the hall, Kup had struggled to walk as the hall was not wide enough to accommodate all of them at once.  There had been brief shoving, giggles, and finally they all spilt out into the back of the house and waited patiently by the sliding glass door.

               “Ready?” Grabbing the doors handle and flipping the lock, Kup tugged the door all the way open. He hadn’t expected them to file out calm, and instead watched them squeal and burst pass the threshold.  

               Naturally, Blurr had been the first out, racing out into the cold and instantly regretting it as his little booted feet immediately lost all traction and he slid. Little legs frantically trying to counter his weight, he danced in place before finally falling flat on his back.

               Unscathed, Blurr let himself remain on the ground, grumbling to himself as snowflakes rained down onto his pale cheeks. Above, he could hear the others laughing up a storm and the soft crunch of their own little boots clomping down in the snow towards him.

               “Whoa! Haha, are you okay?” Standing by Blurr’s head, Springer leaned over him.

               “I don’t think I like the snow.” Accepting Springer’s hand when the little green mech offered, Blurr stood himself up and brushed himself off.

               Last but certainly not least, Drift stepped out from the house and placed one little foot into the snow. It crunched under his boot and his finials perked up as he stepped fully out into the cold. Already the sting of the cool breeze nipped at his cheeks, turning them a slight pink.

               Despite the chilly breeze, that didn’t stop him from stepping out into the yard, finials upright and curious as his attention remained up at the sky. Only when a snowflake landed on his nose did he finally look down, his optics crossing briefly before the flake melted against him.

               Back across the yard, Springer had moved away from Blurr and instead put his attention on the snow he was currently gathering. Clumping as much snow together as his little mitten covered hands would allow, he snickered to himself. Though, before he had time to turn around and select his first victim, a ball of snow struck him in the shoulder and exploded on impact.

               Whirling around in time to see Rodimus pointing and laughing at him, Springer stomped his little foot and growled. The good news was, Rodimus wasn’t laughing for long, considering Springer had relatively good aim, and when he tossed his own snowball it hit Rodimus right in the face.

               If the snow hadn’t been fresh perhaps the impact would have hurt, but instead the snow erupted over Rodimus’ little face, only knocking him back a step.

               “Hey!” He snapped, his little spoiler flapping suddenly. “That’s not-” Ducking as a second ball was hurled at him, Rodimus tossed himself to the ground and scooped up what snow he could. In an attempt to retaliate, Rodimus tossed the ball he had crafted, missing the little green mech and beaming Whirl right off the back of the head.

                Having been attempting to build a snow fort, Whirl’s optic flickered and brightened as he turned around and glared.“You think this is a game pipsqueak?!” Standing as high as his legs would lift him and bringing his claws into the air, Whirl snapped them three times in warning. “You have awaked the wrath of-” Head jerking back as a snowball struck him right in the optic, his claws lowered slowly. “I’m blind! I’m blind!” Instead of erupting like the rest of the balls thrown around, this one decided to stay lodged in Whirl’s proboscis.

                Grabbing the flailing helicopter’s arm and tugging him behind the snow mound he had been building, Springer hunched down below it. Peeking out across the yard after only a moment, Springer spotted Blurr and Rodimus constructing their own little fort.

                “Fire!” Tossing two snowballs he had been saving, Springer missed Rodimus, but hit Blurr in the side.

                “Take cover!” Together, the speedsters hid behind their little snow mound, Blurr using his speedy nature to construct it quickly while Rodimus laid on cover fire.

                Meanwhile, on the side of the yard that had not yet waged war on each other, Perceptor and Drift had wandered.

                For a while they had simply entertained themselves by running through the snow, Drift mostly, as he was amused by the soft crunch his boots made every time the made contact with the ground. It had amused him for a few minutes until he realized Perceptor had stopped following him.

                “Percy?” Turning around and rubbing the back of his hand under his running nose, Drift spotted the little red mech laying flat on his back in the middle of the yard. “Percy, what are you doing?” He watched as Perceptor flapped his arms and legs around.

                “I’m making a snow mech, haven’t you ever made one before?” Standing up after two more flaps, Perceptor placed his little mitted hands on his hips. “See.” He pointed to the imprint he made in the ground.

                “I want to try!” Rushing over next to the indent Perceptor had left, Drift laid down on his back and quickly flapped his limbs around. “Am I doing it right, Percy?” When Percy nodded he smiled and stood up, marveling at his own little indent.

                “Look, your finials left an indent, it looks like you.” Pointing at the two long intends protruding from the ground, Perceptor moved over to his own and drew a small scope on the end of his. “See, now you can tell its us.” Turning away from the intends, Perceptor waved for Drift to follow. “Help me build a snow Kup.”

                “A snow Kup?” Sliding to a stop as the little red mech in front of him suddenly knelt down to make a snowball. Having expected Perceptor to pick it up, he was surprised when Perceptor kept rolling it. Farther and farther the little ball collected more and more snow until it was half Perceptors size.

                “Help me push it,” Pausing to look over his shoulder, Perceptor watched drift jump in place and rush to his size. “We have to make a big ball first, then one smaller than this one, and then a third to be his head. Haven’t you ever made one before?” A part of him wished he didn’t ask, as Drift’s finials sagged for only a moment as he shook his head. “That’s okay, I can teach you, keep rolling.”

                “But Kup’s head isn’t round… well… I mean it’s not really-” Pushing the ball all around the yard until it became too heavy to move anymore, they both got to work on the second ball. Stopping when it was about two thirds the size of the one that had previously made, together they lifted it and stacked it on the larger bottom.

                “Now just the head.” Already in the process of making a smaller ball, Perceptor paused and looked at Drift. “Can you find some rocks?”

                “Rocks?”

                “Mhm, that’s what we are going to make his face out of.” Rolling the snowball until it was half the size of the middle one, Percy struggled to pick it up. Despite it being much smaller than the rest, he had to put a bit of effort into lugging it to their work in progress.

                Watching Perceptor for only a moment, Drift turned on his heels and rushed over to the side of the house. If he remembered correctly there were always a bunch of rocks by the steps. With a little digging he plucked a few from the snow and stacked them in his hand. He hadn’t noticed when Kup stepped out of the house and shut the door, at least not until the larger mech stepped close to him.

                “Drift, what are you doing?” With a green scarf wrapped around his neck, Kup watched Drift turn to him and show him his mitten full of rocks.

                “Percy and I are making a… well… you.”

                “Me?” Looking to his right, Kup spotted Perceptor struggling to get the top of the head onto the midsection of his sculpture. It was far too heavy for him, but that didn’t stop him from putting as much effort in getting it up there as possible.

                Standing on the tops of his feet, Perceptor huffed and tried to toss it up, resulting in it not making it and landing back in his hands. The only issue with that was it was too heavy and rolled right off his hands and smashed on the ground behind him.

                Smiling as he could see his little scientist getting impatient, Kup rubbed the top of Drift’s head and wandered over to Perceptor.

                “Need some help?” Already Perceptor had constructed a new head, and without hesitating he held it out to Kup.

                “Be gentle!” Percy watched Kup set the head down in it’s proper place and adjust it just right.

                “Good?”

                “Yeah!”

                “I have the rocks! I think I have enough!” Rushing up from behind the two of them, Drift squeezed past them and presented his haul to Perceptor. “Is this good? It’s hard to find them in the snow.”

                “Yeah! Now we just have to stick them on.” Taking a few of the rocks from Drift’s hands, Perceptor once again stood on the tips of his feet and placed the eyes. Once he stepped back, he allowed Drift to make a smile, which was slightly crooked.

                Once complete, all three of them stepped back.

                “A spitting image,” Crossing his arms, “Except it has no arms.” It was also slightly lopsided but all that mattered was that they tried their best.

                “I can get some!” Perceptor jumped in place before rushing over to the far side of the yard were a low hanging tree dipped down over the fence. With a little effort and a lot of jumping, he could snag a branch, and he did just that. Having expected the branch to break right away, he was surprised when it instead bumped snow on him.

                Shaking the snow off and tugging a little harder, Percy felt his boots slide across the slick ground. Determined, he kept tugging until finally it snapped, sending him down onto his little aft.

                Getting up and rubbing his backside, he held the stick up in victory while trotting back over to the others.

                “Got it!” Grabbing it with both hands, he tried to snap it, once again running into a road block. Instead of snapping, the stick just bent slightly no matter how hard the little mech tried. Once, twice, and finally he gave up and handed it to Kup who snapped it in half with no issue.

                “Thank you.” Bashfully accepting one of the broken twigs, Percy stuck it into one side of the snowman while drift did the other.

                “He’s not quite done.”

                “No?” Tilting his head and looking over their creation, Drift looked up as Kup was removing his scarf.

                “This will do.” Wrapping the scarf around the snow Kup’s neck, Kup stepped back and rubbed the tops of both Drift and Percy’s head. “Nice work.” Two little red cheeked faces smiled up at him.

                Not having long to admire the work of his two babes, Kup felt something cold strike at the back of his head and trickle down his back. A second one struck him, and he turned, facing the open yard that was now bare of little babes.

                Unfortunately for them their giggles and snorts gave them away, not to mention Kup could see the tops of their heads poking out from behind one of the snow mounds they had managed to craft.

“Oh, you guys think you’re funny, don’t you?” Kneeling down and scooping up some snow, Kup tossed a ball up and over the little mound, hitting one of the babes.

                “Enemy fire!” Rodimus was the first to pop up, snow on his head, hand loaded with one little ball of his own. “Return fire!” Springer, Blurr, and Whirl all popped up next to him, arms loaded with snowballs that all started to toss in Kup’s direction.

                Several missed, and Kup did his best to dodge what he could, getting a few in the back, and one in the head. As he knelt to pick up more snow, Drift stepped in front of him, a small snowball of his own now crafted.

                “I thought we were on the same tea-” Getting hit square in the face, though gently, Kup tried to toss a ball back at Drift who already had scurried to cover with the others. “Traitors!” He tossed one underhand at Percy, who ducked, tripped, and slid on his belly all the way to the mound Rodimus was behind.

                “Attack!” Jumping up onto the top of the mound, arms overflowing with snowballs, Rodimus lunged forwards. Throwing one ball after another, the others followed him, laying on cover fire as Kup was trapped out in the middle of the yard.

                With nowhere to hide and no way to make as many snowballs as them, Kup took every shot. Snow burst against his back, arms, chest, and legs, and each time he was struck he pretended to be gravely wounded. Or at least he tried to. Not being the best actor, he tried his best, wailing and throwing himself to the ground as the babes advanced on him.

                Optics closed, arms and legs flailed out, Kup lay as still as possible on the snow covered ground. All around him he heard the soft crunch of little boots, then the silence of all the babes just standing around him, watching him.

                “I think you killed him.” Whirl spoke first, and then there was a little grunt from someone Kup could only imagine coming from Rodimus.

A few more soft little crunches as one of the babes moves close to his head, and then suddenly he felt something cold on his forehead.

                Peeking one optic open, Kup looked up at Rodimus who had placed a bit of snow on his forehead.

                “Are you dead?” He asked, leaning over Kup’s head and looking right into his open optic. He was shivering, his little nose a bright pink to match his cold cheeks.

                “Not yet, but you almost had me.” Slowly sitting up, Kup looked around at the babes surrounding him. All of them were shivering now, they had been out for a while, perhaps it was time to bring it in. There would be plenty of snow to come, they could play another day.

                “Come on, let’s get inside and get warm.” Pulling himself to his feet, Kup brushed himself off and coaxed the babes back inside. “Boots off by the door, I don’t want snow tracked through the house. Hang your scarfs and mittens by the heater so they dry.” As they piled back inside, little boots were removed and placed in a perfect row. Mittens and scarfs were hung, and slowly the babes wandered into the much warmer living room.

                Jumping up onto the sofa and removing all of the pillows onto the floor, Springer moved for the blanket neatly folded on top of the sofa next. Tossing it down to the others, they all clambered under it, huddling together for warmth while Rodimus turned the TV on.

                The usual holiday cartoons had already started to cycle in, despite it still being early in the season, they didn’t mind.

                “Who wants hot chocolate?” Stepping into the room with a tray full of steaming mugs, Kup paused and looked down at the nestled bunch of babes. Like a bunch of little baby birds, they all popped their heads from under the blanket and raised their little hands. “Alright, they are hot, so drink carefully.” Setting the tray down on the end table, Kup moved around the color coded mugs. Handing them out one by one, he noted their expression when they realized not only did it have a bit of whipped cream in it, but a few marshmallows as well.

                “Here you go.” Handing Springer his cup last, Kup watched him take a slow sip. The little green mechs plating expanded and he let out a sigh of content. “Good?” Smiling when Springer moved the cup away from his mouth, a bit of whipped cream remained on the tip of his nose. “Good,” Wiping the cream off Springer’s nose, Kup watched him turn and sit back with the others.

                Gingerly sipping at his own hot chocolate, Kup watched the babes, smiling. Life couldn’t get any better than this.


	14. FirstAid

He hadn't worried too much when Perceptor had developed a small cough, nothing but an inconvenience really. With no fever and no sign of it slowing the little red mech down, Kup had done nothing more than made sure Perceptor had been hydrated and took a bit of medicine at night. Though despite the dose, he could still hear Percy cough through the wall in the later hours of the night. Sometimes in the morning he looked exhausted, and Kup had been sure he had trouble sleeping because of it.

It hadn't been until Springer, and then Rodimus, had also started coughing and sniffling that he began to worry.  Not that it had come as a surprise to him that they would slowly get one another sick, since they lived in close quarters with one another, but still, it wouldn't be good for them to all become as sick as Drift had been. If anything, he would have liked to prevent that from ever happening. Not to mention if they were all keeping themselves up at night from coughing, they would _all_ be cranky.

With that being said, Kup had recalled a conversation he had had with Ratchet about getting their yearly boosters. Certainly this would be their first round, and certainly Kup would feel bad about pricking them, but it was a necessary evil. An evil he decided not to mention until the very last second to prevent a group panic. He could handle one or two panicked babes, but the whole lot of them would prove to be a challenge. At no point did he doubt they would be mad at him when it was all said and done, but nothing a bit of ice cream and late night cartoons couldn't fix.

Stepping into the living room and setting his hands on his hips, Kup looked out over the room at all the babes playing in various locations. As per usual, Rodimus and Springer were both in the center of the room playing with some toy cars, Drift and Perceptor were on the sofa, and Whirl and Blurr were both sitting in front of the TV.

"Are we ready to visit Ratchet?" He hadn't been too surprised when only a few of the babes looked up at him, not exactly excited. Sure they went on walks to places all the time, but sometimes they liked to be lumps in the house too. In fact, Drift had really been the only one to show any kind of expression of excitement. Finials standing straight up at the mentions of Ratchet, he popped up from his place on the sofa and slid down perhaps a little too quickly. Landing directly on his backside, he recovered quickly, popping back onto his feet and rushing to Kup.

"Yes! Yes!" Rushing to Kup's side and tugging on his hand, Drift jumped in place. "I'm ready! I'm ready!" His jumping paused, and he panted, a soft wheeze on his breath. He sniffled, his finials sagging a bit, the cold unfortunately working through his frame as well. "I'm ready."       "Put your mittens on and we can get going." Rubbing the tip of Drift's finial, the little mech nodded and rushed off into his room.

"Kup," Springer's small voice sounded from below him next, "why are we - _sniff-_ visiting Ratchet?"  Springer’s nose was a bright red, irritated from his rubbing it so often. His cheeks almost matched his nose in tone, though a slight pink with fever. In his hands he held his green scarf, fiddling with it rather than putting it on.

"Ratchet is going to help us get better and stay better." Taking the scarf from Springer's hands and wrapping it around his neck for him, Kup noticed his confused look. "You know how you have been coughing?" There was a small nod this time, "Ratchet will help make it stop so you can sleep better." That had seemed to satisfy Springer's curiously. More than once he had been woken up by the others coughing, and sure enough soon his own coughing had disrupted his usual sleep patterns. It had started to make him impatient to noises or being disrupted from naps on the sofa, as it had cut into important playtime when he was passed out on the sofa. The thought of finally being able to sleep right had him nodding in agreement to visiting Ratchet for help.

One by one, Kup helped them slide little mittens onto their little hands and adjust their scarfs just right. Not too loose and not too tight, they were ready to go.

"Alright, let's head out, we don't want to be late." Herding the babes to the front door and out into the cool afternoon air, Kup closed the door behind them and locked it. As he turned back around to face the street, he had been pleased his babes had waited for him by the curb. "Rodimus, Percy, come here," Stepping down the first few steps, Kup knelt down onto the curb, offering his arms to the two little mechs, "let me carry you." Being the sickest out of the bunch, Kup hadn't wanted them wasting what little energy they had walking the few blocks to the clinic. Plus, it was a better way to keep them warm. Springer, although sick, was still in the early stages of the cold and could totter alongside him with no issue.

Depending on how the appointment went, Kup had figured he would drive them all home in his alt mode, as none of them would probably want to walk after a series of boosters. No doubt they would be cranky and tired; best to make sure they didn't have to walk while cranky back home.

"Alright then, let's head out." Grunting as he stood himself back up with the added weight of Perceptor and Rodimus at his hips, Kup stepped forwards. Immediately both Perceptor and Rodimus allowed their heads to rest on Kup's shoulders, simply enjoying the ride while the others trailed quickly behind him.

* * *

 

Stepping through the sliding glass doors, Kup waited a moment in the main lobby for the rest of his babes to catch up and hoard around his legs. Once his mental headcount had finished, he stepped towards the counter, pausing abruptly when he noticed the front desk was empty.

That had been unusual; he had never known Ratchet to leave the front desk unattended, especially in the middle of the day.

"Uh? Hello?" Turning towards one of the hallways, Kup leaned to the side, trying to get a better look down them to seeing Ratchet perhaps just hadn't noticed them walk in.

"Good afternoon!" The little voice from the front desk startled him, and when he turned back to face it still he saw nothing.

"Good... afternoon?" Stepping closer and leaning slightly over the counter, his optics narrowed at the little thing sitting in Ratchet's chair.

It was a sparkling, perhaps no bigger than Perceptor, sitting at Ratchet's station. Decorated with a simple red and white pattern, Kup noticed the classic medical plus signs painted onto their shoulders. Armed with a clipboard and a pen, he had been furiously scribbling things down, and from what Kup could make it, it was nonsense.

Its visor brightened as it finished what it had been scribbling down, suddenly standing up on the chair and holding the board out to Kup.

"Please sign in!" It wiggled the clipboard urgently, a pen in its other hand wiggling just as frantically at Kup.

"Oh, uh, alright. Just one second." Crouching down to allow Perceptor and Rodimus to slide from his grasp, he patted the each once on the head and stood back up. "Thank you." Taking the board from the little mech and giving it a quick glance, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Despite the mindless scribbles, Kup signed his name, dated it, and then handed it back over to the patiently waiting mech.

"You're new here." It had been amusing to watch the little mech pull the clipboard to his face and read over it thoroughly. Seeming satisfied, he slapped it down on the front counter and stared at Kup through his bright visor.

"I'm Ratchet's apprentice. Firstaid."

"Not quite yet, but getting there." Ratchet's husky voice piped up from the left, drawing both Kup and Firstaid's attention in that direction. "A few more years of studying and wound care we can upgrade to better things." Patting Firstaid on the head and then shooing him from his chair, Ratchet smiled at Kup. "Didn't give you too much trouble, did he?"  

"Just had me sign in-" Pointing to the clipboard, Kup smirked as Ratchet only grunted at it. As if unfazed by the doodles, he just pulled the paper from the board and set it in a small pile of what looked like similar doodles on his desk.

"He has a strange habit of that, among other things."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I hadn't expected you to be the type to adopt." Ratchet was always busy, and for good reason, despite showing no ill will to Kup's cluster of babes and probably any other that came to the clinic, Ratchet just didn't seem the type for it. "Getting an apprentice I can see, but one so young?"

"After Drift," Ratchet paused, his optics wandering the waiting room to where he saw Drift playing with one of the toys he had set out in the waiting room, "I had thought about it, but the thought of being a carrier or a sire, doesn't really interest me." He had been married to his work and that had been no secret. "Don't have the time for swinging around, so I figured it would be better to take a note from you and adopt. Found him pretty quickly, and he's smart. He's far too young to assist me with surgeries, but he thrives with wound care and medicines. I don't doubt with time he will make a fine medical officer." Optics wandering the waiting room until they found Firstaid, Ratchet only sighed at the sight of him.

Somehow having convinced Springer to hold still long enough to press what appeared to be a fake plastic stethoscope to his forehead, Firstaid moved it around. He hummed in thought, pressing it to Springer's cheek and ignoring his very confused expression.

"Like I said, he's still learning." Moving his hands around his desk, Ratchet pulled a few pieces of paper together and set them on the counter. "You're here about the boosters, right?" He slid the forms at Kup.

"Mhm, yes." Accepting the pen from Ratchet, Kup got right to work filling out the actual paperwork. "Springer, Rodimus, and Perceptor all have a cold. If you wouldn't mind looking them over, I would greatly appreciate it. Their fevers have been manageable, but the coughing has been keeping them up. I'm worried it might get out of hand."

"Of course." A simple check up was easy enough. "Have you noticed anything else out of the ordinary for any of them?" Ratchet took the paperwork from Kup, flipping through it to make sure it was all in order. "Have there been any signs of their T-cogs shifting? Armor moving strangely, achy joints?"

"No." Kup had to think for a moment, and then shook his head.

"Hmm, you might want to be on the lookout for it. They are the right age now that they should start to convert into their second mode. Firstaid is about the same age as Rodimus and he already can full transform back and forth. So just be on the lookout. The first few transformations can be tough."

"I'll keep a closer optic on them then."

"Excellent," Setting the paper work down and clasping his hands together, Ratchet smirked, "who's my first victim?"

"Uh-" Turning himself to face the waiting room, Kup counted himself lucky that Rodimus had still been standing close by. "Rodimus."

"Hmm?" On instinct, Rodimus held up his arms as Kup crouched down to pick him up, sitting him on his hip and turning back to face Ratchet. He looked between the two of them, not exactly sure what was going on.

"Firstaid!" Ratchet suddenly snapped, and the little medic covering Springer in all sorts of colorful band-aids jumped in place. "Please go prep the exam room, and make sure to have a booster ready to go."

"Yes sir!" Standing at attention by Ratchet's side until he finished giving him orders, Firstaid stomped his little foot and turned around. Rushing off to the left, he took a sharp right into an exam room.

"Booster?" Voice small, Rodimus found himself hooking his little fingers into a seam on Kup's frame. "What do you mean?" He looked up at Ratchet, who was reaching for him. "No!" Squishing himself against Kup's frame, Rodimus hid his face into his adoptive carrier's neck. "No!"

"Rodimus, just relax."

"I don't want to go!" Fingers curled around his midsection and he felt Ratchet tug on him. "No! Please! I don't want it!" It didn't take much prying to get him off of Kup, and when his grip slipped he panicked and flailed. "No! No!" He reached for Kup as Ratchet set him on his own hip, immediately turning away from the counter and heading to the exam room Firstaid had wandered into.

He felt his spark throb behind his chestplate, Rodimus’ betrayed expression wounding him, but as he had said to himself early, a necessary evil.  

Turning to face the others, he could see Rodimus' little scene had alerted them all. Heads up and optics curious, they looked to Kup for an answer.

"Come here," Kneeling down, it took only a few moments for this babes to huddle around him, "I'm sure you could have guessed we're not just here to visit Ratchet."

"We're not?" Drift's finials sagged a bit.

"Well, not entirely." Giving the white mech’s head a fond rub, Kup continued, "We're here for boosters."

There was a moment of silence, then exactly what he had expected. Both Blurr and Drift erupted into hysterical sobbing, while Springer, Whirl, and Perceptor all just looked at one another. Even without a face, Whirl seemed disgruntled, and yet, he only made a soft churring noise of acknowledgment.

"Come on now, it's not that bad. It doesn't even hur-" Cut off by a loud wail that no doubt belong to Rodimus, Kup watched as the babes faces shifted from upset, to hysterical.

"You're overreacting, it wasn't that bad," Ratchet's voice came from behind, and Kup turned to see the medic walking towards him with Rodimus balanced on his hip. Face red, optics gushing thick tears, Rodimus held onto his shoulder until he was held outwards to Kup. "All set."

Arms flailing out to Ratchet, Rodimus sobbed for him, latching onto his frame the moment Kup took him back and sobbed right into his shoulder.

"Rodimus," Placing a hand on Rodimus' back and rubbing between his spoiler, Kup rocked him in an attempt to sooth him, "relax, you're alright. You're alright." He should have known Rodimus would be in full hysteric, gushing tears and hyperventilating into his neck. "You're alright, shh." It took quite a bit of cuddling to get Rodimus to settle and sigh, his little frame sagging in his arms. Nothing but little sniffles and hiccups followed. "There you go, see you're alright." Only five more to go.

When Ratchet had advanced for another babe, it hadn't been surprising that the others had scattered around the waiting room, making it difficult to catch any of them. The only two who didn't seem to run were Perceptor and Whirl, who stood by Kup's side.

"Are we done yet?" Whirl had asked, tugging at Kup's arm, seemingly bored. "I wanna go home." His massive optics was only half open and half lit, bored.

"Right after Ratchet checks you out." Patting the top of Whirl's head with his free hand, Kup ushered Whirl to see Ratchet next.

"Pinch me and I pinch you back." Ratchet warned Whirl as they walked together into the exam room. It hadn't taken long for them to reemerge, Whirl picking at the blue band-aid on his shoulder. At least one of them wasn't going to be a screamer.  

It had taken both Kup and Ratchet to corner Blurr, as Kup alone was constantly outwitted by the sparkling’s speed. It had been child's play each time he zipped away, even laughing when Kup missed him more than three times. Though the laughing had soon stopped when Ratchet joined the chase, and together they managed to corner him.

Much like Rodimus, it had been a screaming match; constant sobbing and begging as Ratchet tucked Blurr under his arm and toted him to the exam room. Again, there had been a moment of silence, as Ratchet had no doubt managed to calm them down enough when he got them on the table, and then the sudden shrill scream from the prick of the booster.

One by one Kup accepted his upset babes from Ratchet, accepting them into his arms and immediately cooing to them to sooth their pain. Pouring kisses onto their damp cheeks, talking about their decorated band-aids, and all the ice cream they would be getting when they went home for being so brave.

Perceptor had been second to last, and as much as Kup had expected, he was the quietest out of the bunch. Walking into the exam room with Ratchet, there had been no scream or cry of discomfort whatsoever. Instead, he tottered out of the room, poking at his band-aid with little microscopes on it.

"Look!"

"Oh wow, look at that. Very nice, it suits you." Rubbing the top of Perceptor's head, Kup turned towards the waiting room and looked for the last patient of the day.

"Drift," Ratchet spoke before he could, "come on, it's your turn." Sitting on one of the waiting room chairs, Drift had his head down. He pulled at his fingers, his finals lowering nervously. He didn't look up right away, but when he had he saw Ratchet smiling softly at him and holding out his hand.

Swallowing and sliding himself from his seat, Drift trudged over to Ratchet. Standing in front of him, he held up his arms when the medic knelt down to hold him.

Instantly, Drift wrapped his arms around Ratchet's neck, hugging him and cuddling the side of his head. A soft little sigh of delight escaped him and he relaxed in the medic’s arms. Sure he had trusted him, but the others’ sobs and screams had unnerved him.

"I missed you." Ratchet said as he placed his free hand on Drift's back to keep him secure against his frame. "You need to tell Kup to visit more often." Rubbing Drift's back as he walked towards the exam room, Ratchet stepped inside and went to the table against the wall.

Leaning forward and allowing Drift to slide off his arm, he sat him on the edge of the table and quickly brought his hands to Drift's finials. Rubbing the tips until Drift giggled and sat up straight, Ratchet smiled.

"Alright, let's get a look at you." Removing his hands from Drift's finials, Ratchet brought them to his chin, gently moving his head back and forth before moving downward to his neck. "How have you been feeling?"

"Good... I guess." He could feel Ratchet touching his neck cables, then slide his fingers between a few of them and give them a light tug. "My throat is itchy."

"Yeah?" Looking to his side where a little tray way, Ratchet picked up something that looked like a pen. Clicking the end of it, a little light beamed out. "Open for me." Obediently, Drift opened his mouth for Ratchet. "Hmm." The inner walls of Drift's throat were slightly irritated, a clear sign he was getting sick. "Okay." Clicking the light off, Drift closed his mouth and watched Ratchet continue to look him over.

Arms, hands, fingers, chest, hips, legs, and then feet, Ratchet had been thorough. Not missing a single detail or scuff of paint. Though he had been more than happy to see Drift's frame was significantly bulkier than the last time he had examined him, not to mention every dent that had been beat into his frame was gone. All in all he was well taken care of, and Ratchet had never doubted Kup's ability to do so for a second.

"It's ready sir." Stepping into the room with a silver tray in hand, Firstaid held it up to Ratchet. Nearly set on it were a sterile cleaning swab, a red band-aid, and the capped syringe.

"Thank you." Taking the tray from his mini assistant, Ratchet set it down on the small table by the exam table and turned to Drift.

Face soaked, thick tears welled up and rolled down Drift's cheeks. his face was stiff, and his lower lip quivered as if he was struggling with himself not to cry, and yet, he was drenching himself.

"Drift," Ratchet couldn't help a small chuckle at the struggling sparkling. He was too cute, trying so hard like that, "It's alright. This is nothing for you, you're tougher than this." Ratchet gestured at the syringe as he picked it up. "Right?"

Snot dripped from Drift's nose and he sniffled hard, sucking it back up as he nodded frantically.

"Good, good, not take a deep breath for me." He was patient with him, waiting through a shaky breath, and a huffed sigh as Drift tried his best to calm down. "Good, now one more." It took three huffs before Drift relaxed, and when Ratchet extended his hand for his arm, he obediently handed it over.  "Good." Working quickly, Ratchet tore the sterile wipe open and rubbed it along Drift's shoulder.

Upon uncapping the syringe and moving closer to Drift, Ratchet could see fresh tears welling and streaming down puffy cheeks, but at no point did Drift try to move away. Instead, he bit his lip and squeezed his optics shut when Ratchet jabbed him. It had been no longer than a second, but the sting lingered, and Drift felt his throat tighten as a sob wanted to escape.

"All done. See all done." Ratchet cooed, placing the band-aid on and stepping back in front of Drift. "You're done. It's over." His gentle hands were quick to wipe Drift fresh tears away. "See, you're alright." Pulling Drift into his arms and hugging him, Ratchet pulled Drift onto his hip and rocked him. Giving Drift a moment to collect himself, he felt the sparkling cuddle under his chin and sigh. "Alright, let's get you back to Kup, I'm sure everybody would like to go home." Turning towards the door, Ratchet paused when he saw Firstaid. "Aid, please get me two bottles of the purple medicine in the lower left cabinet in the pharmacy."

"Yes sir!" Walking out of the room with Firstaid, the sparkling took a left while Ratchet went to the right back into the lobby. From there he saw Kup sitting in one of the chairs, a babe in each arm.

Rodimus and Springer had both passed out against him, their sobbing tuckering them both out while the others loafed about close by.

"All set. Firstaid is fetching medicine now for the colds. Two spoons before bed should have them cleared up in a few days. Make sure they wash their hands when they come in from playing and you have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you, Ratchet." Getting up with his groggy babes in hand, Kup bowed his head in thanks to the medic.

"Anytime." There was a soft tapping at Ratchet's back leg, and when he turned and saw Firstaid holding a brown bag up to him, he took it from him. "Here's the medicine." It took a bit of effort to take the bag from the medic and store it into his subspace, as he didn't want to jostle the sleeping babes.

"Ratchet." Firstaid piped up below them.

"Hmm?"

"I have the lab results for Springer." Holding up a few pieces of paper to the CMO, Ratchet took them and looked at them. Like his handmade sign in sheet, the papers were nothing but nonsense scribbles and the slightly sign of what looked like a graph. Not to mention the very last page was a crude drawing of Springer covered in band-aids. In fact he was still covered in band-aids.

"Oh?" Flipping through them and acting interested, Ratchet looked over the edge of the papers at his assistant. "And what have you concluded from the diagnosis?"

"It's terminal."

"I see." Handing the papers back down to his apprentice, Ratchet set his hand on the top of Firstaid's head. "You may want to check your numbers again, I think the diagnosis is a little off, but you're close."

The sparkling whined, but tottered off and out of sight, leaving Ratchet and Kup to only chuckle with one another.

 

* * *

 

He had been grateful none of the babes had held a grudge against him, and instead insisted cuddling against him the moment they had gotten home. Tired and sore, they had all hoarded on the sofa where Kup had first set Springer and Rodimus down to nap.

Immediately, Whirl had climbed up with them, sleeping between them, while Blurr took a spot in front of the TV. Laying his head down on a fluffy pillow, he hadn't lasted more than a few minutes before passing out, and Kup tossed a blanket over him.

Taking his place in his recliner, he welcomed Drift and Perceptor into his arms, keeping each one at other side of his chest while he rocked back and forth. Nice and slow, he nuzzled the tops of their head every few minutes until they themselves dozed off.

"Better make sure I have enough ice cream for when they wake up." They would be hungry, and perhaps sour with him, but from what he could see they had already forgiven him. 

 


	15. Springer Arc

“Springer,” A muffled voice sounded in the back of his mind, growing louder each time his name was repeated, “Springer!” He felt himself moving, be shaken back and forth just enough to pull him from his restless slumber.

“Mhm?” Dimming his optics halfway online, a blue blob appeared in front of him. Blinking a few times and bringing his small hands up to rub his little optics, Springer looked up again to see Blurr. His face had mild concern on it and every few seconds he seemed to glance over his shoulder, as if anxious about getting somewhere.

“Kup’s been calling,” Kup had been calling? He hadn’t heard, “breakfast is ready.” Turning on his heels and dashing towards the door, Blurr waited a moment before finally trotting out and down the hall.

Frame groaning in protest to being sat up, Springer absentmindedly rubbed at his sore sides. For whatever reason his transformation seams seemed to ache and itch, but after giving them a bit of a rub the sensation settled.

After rubbing his tired optics, Springer glanced around the room, surprised to see it was bare. How had he managed to sleep through Kup calling for breakfast and the commotion of the others waking up? Had he just been that tired?

Flipping the covers from his legs and sliding off the side of his bed, Springer moved towards the door. Feeling oddly dizzy, his steps seemed a bit drunken and he stumbled, catching himself on the doorframe. Panting softly, he ran his little hand down his face, taking in a deep breath and patiently waiting for the world around him to stop swaying.

“Springer?” Kup’s voice called from down the hall.

“I’m… I’m coming!” Pushing himself away from the doorframe and continuing down the hall, Springer stepped into the kitchen. Pausing by the threshold, he spotted everybody already sitting at the table, Kup making his way around while setting plates down in front of everybody.

“There he is, come on, sit, eat.” Kup smiled as Springer sluggishly moved towards his usual spot at the table. Pulling out the chair and climbing up, he sat patiently, waiting for Kup to come around and set a plate down in front of him.

Two waffles drizzled with golden syrup surrounded by cut-up strawberries and cream decorated the plate. It looked marvelous and at one point Springer may have drooled a little at the sight of it, but today was different.

He _was_ hungry, but the moment he picked up his fork and poked at a waffle, his tank twisted. The feeling of needing to purge rose up quickly in the back of his throat and he did his best to swallow it down.

Across the table, Kup sipped his coffee casually as he watched Springer closely. For ten minutes, he did nothing but move is waffle around his plate and poke at a few of the berries. Eventually he brought one up to his mouth but the moment it touched his lips his face seemed to grow pale. It hadn’t stopped him from trying again every few minutes, each time faltering the moment the food drew near and eventually giving up. Setting his fork down and sitting back with a sad sigh, Springer patiently waited for the others to finish.

The good news was that hadn’t been long, and each babe slid from their seats with their empty plates in hand. Trotting up to the sink where Kup now stood, they handed him their dirty plates to be rinsed. Once handed off, they turned around and dashed into the living room to start their day.

Lagging at the back of the line, Springer stared down at his full plate, a bit embarrassed to hold it up to Kup when it was his turn. In fact he hadn’t held it up at all but instead just kept the plate by his chest to further stare at it. The last thing he wanted was to look up at Kup and see a disappointed expression on his face.  

“Springer.”  Gripping the edge of his plate, the little green mech looked up. Kup’s optics were not upset or even disappointed, but worried. He knelt down to Springer’s height, lightly taking the plate from him and looking at the now ruined display of food. “Are you okay? I thought waffles were your favorite?”

“They are.” The words came out warbled as Kup took the plate from him and set it on the counter. “I don’t feel well.” As Kup crouched back down to his height, Springer watched him motion for him to get closer.

“Come here.” Holding out his hands, Kup cupped Springer’s cheeks and pulled his head close. Lowering his own head, he pressed their foreheads together for a moment.

Sitting back, Kup ran his hands up and down Springer’s cheeks, humming to himself in thought. Springer’s forehead wasn’t warm, but his cheeks did harbor a bit of heat and did seem a bit flushed. An incoming cold perhaps?

“What doesn’t feel good?” Pulling his hands away from Springer’s cheeks, Kup watched the sparkling shrug. He pulled at his little fingers nervously, trying to recall exactly didn’t feel right, but other than being a bit dizzy, he felt fine.

“I… I don’t know,” Springer spoke softly, “I don’t feel _right_. I feel weird.” A worried look was on Kup’s face as Springer looked up, but it was soft and without panic.

“Hmm, I see,” Patting Springer’s head and standing back up, Kup turned towards the counter for a moment. “It might just be a belly ache.” Turning back around with a glass of juice in hand, Kup extended it towards Springer. “Drink some of this, little sips, and rest.”

Taking the glass and putting it to his lips, Springer took a tiny sip and licked his lips. Thankfully his tank didn’t turn so he took another little sip as Kup patted the top of his head.

“If you still feel sick by lunch, I’ll give you some medicine.” A part of him was relieved to see Springer scrunch his face in protest to the idea of sour medicine. Hopefully with the added fluids and some rest he would perk up by noon and this would be just a case of an upset belly.

Sucking down the last of the juice and handing the empty glass up to Kup, Springer turned around and headed towards the living room. Keeping one hand pressed along the wall to balance himself in case he became dizzy again, Springer entered the room.

Rodimus, Drift, and Perceptor were sitting in the center of the room stacking blocks while Whirl and Blurr both sat in front of the TV, optics locked on the early morning cartoons.

Making his way towards the couch, Springer paused when Drift turned towards him.

“Springer,” Drift rotated as the little green mech walked past him. “wanna play?” His finials sagged when he watched Springer climb up onto the sofa and lay down.

“Maybe later?” Pulling a pillow under his head and snuggling into it, Springer allowed his optics to offline. With a soft sigh, he allowed himself to drift off, listening to the others around him.

The first hour of his nap had seemed to rest, sleeping peacefully on the sofa until that odd ache returned. It made him squirm in place and he rolled over to try and get into a better position. That though did little good as the ache persisted. He rolled over again, whining as his sides itched and without hesitation he scratched at them, picking at the seams. The cables underneath felt restless, but he wasn’t sure how to get them to settle, so he rolled over again and kicked out his legs in frustration.

“Hey,” Something poked between Springer’s shoulders and he rolled over to see a massive golden optic inches from his face, “what’s the matter with you?” With the tip of his claw, Whirl pokes Springer’s damp cheeks. “What’s with all the noise?”

“Something is… ngn… something is wrong.” Sitting up and wrapping his arms around his sides, Springer winced. “I don’t-” The armor plating surrounding Springer’s body began to expand and ripple, “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”  Grabbing at his own arms to keep the armor in place, Springer started to panic when he felt his frame stiffen. “I- I need Kup! I need-” Tears welled up under his optics as he felt the seams along his sides widen further.

“Kup! Kup Kup!” Neck extending in panic, Whirl turned around and dashed off. “Something’s wrong with Springer!”

Hopping off the sofa and struggling to make his way to the kitchen, Springer fall down onto his hands and knees. Doing his best to crawl towards the door, his frame and armor continued to shift.

“Springer?!” Perceptor rushed to his side but stepped back when Springer’s transformation seams hissed. The plating jumped and twisted, forcing the green sparkling to fold in on himself.

“I can’t… I can’t stop it!” His head sank into his body and in a matter of seconds he was a weird shape of moving armor. One panel after another shifted and for a moment he seemed to take shape before suddenly transforming a different way.

Abruptly the transformation halts, incomplete, leaving Springer as a tangled mess of seams to wiggle in the middle of the room.

“Springer?!” Drift shrikes as he watches the mass of green metal rock back and forth.

“I-Im stuck! I’m stuck!” Even with his head hidden inside of his body, his voice was clear, but panicked.  “I… I can’t… nngn!”

“There! There! There, look!” Yanking Kup into the room, Whirl pointed with one large claw towards Springer.

“Springer?!” Gasping as he spotted the jumbled up sparkling, Kup rushed to his side. “Alright, you’re alright.”

“Help me! I... I can’t get back to normal! I don’t want to be like this forever!” Despite not being able to see Springer’s face, his sobs were clear. “Help me!” He wiggled in place again,

“Don’t move, just relax.” Setting a comforting hand down on top of Springer, Kup gently rubbed back and forth. “Calm down, just breathe.” The wiggling settled but Springers soft sobbing continued.

Running his fingers along the seams that once made up Springer’s back, Kup squinted in confusion. Transformation seams were designed based on the bots type to transform smoothly, but Springer’s seemed to intersect with one another. As if they were not designed to transform they way there currently were, but body had managed to knot itself. If he had been a little calmer perhaps he could have reversed himself out of it, but this was his first time transforming, and with it going so poorly, he was too panicked to try.

“Springer,” In a tone as soothing as he could possibly muster up, Kup gave Springer’s form a light pat, “I’m going to call Ratchet to help. It should only take a few minutes but you’re going to be just fine. Can you wait the few minutes for him to arrive?”

“Uh-huh-” A loud sniffle followed but Springers armor relaxed.

“Good, just hold on and don’t move too much, okay?” Standing and turning towards the others who had been watching on, Kup sighed. This wasn’t a very good first introduction to transformation. “Listen,” Instantly the others stood at attention, listening closely to him for instruction, “can you all keep Springer company while I call Ratchet?”

The cluster of babes nodded in unison as Kup patted each one of their heads as he walked by. “Good.” Rushing into the kitchen and opening the com, Kup waited the three soft beeps before hearing Ratchet’s gritty voice.

“Medical Officer Ratchet.”

“It’s Kup,” Kup spoke swiftly, “Springer’s transformed.”

“That’s good news.” Ratchet spoke in his general tone while there was a slight indication of tools being clanked in the background.

“Normally it would be, but he’s _stuck_ , and not in his alt mode, he’s stuck halfway transformed. He’s terrified and I’m not sure I can get him unstuck without hurting him. His seams are… something isn’t right about them.”

“I’ll be right over.” The com line abruptly ended, leaving Kup to do nothing but head back into the living room and comfort his jumbled up sparkling.

 

* * *

 

Not ten minutes later there was a firm wrap on the door and Kup rushed to answer it. His shoulders sagged in relief when he spotted Ratchet and of course his new little apprentice standing by his side. Clipboard in hand, Firstaid teetered on the tips of his toes, eager to get inside.

"Thank you for coming so quickly." Stepping aside and allowing Ratchet inside, Kup waited for First Aid to totter along behind him before closing the door. "He's in here-" Moving past the medics and leading them into the living room, Kup motioned for the others to make room. "Come on everyone, give Ratchet some room." Right away the others moved back.

"Springer," Without hesitation, Ratchet knelt down by Springer and set his hand atop of him, "does anything hurt?"

"No," Voice wobbling, "I just can't... get back to normal." He shifted under Ratchet's palm, settling when he remembered Kup told him not to move too much.

"Hmm." Running the tips of his finger over the colliding seams, Ratchet gently tugged on a few. At no point did Springer make a noise of discomfort despite his soft sniffles, which was in truth a good sign. "Springer," Ratchet said in a calm tone, "I'm going to help you transform but you have to do something for me as well, can you do that?"

"Y-yeah."

"Good, now-" Pulling apart a seam located on the side of Springers jumbled form, Ratchet pushed three fingers into it, "I want you to think about your standing mode. Keep it in your mind and just _focus_ on it. Don't think of anything else except that." The plating around Ratchet's fingers remained in place for a few seconds before slightly shifting a bit wider, in that moment he jabbed his fingers deeper and twisted.

In the blink of an eye Springer's frame converted, his armor sliding back into place with ease and causing him to _pop_ up and land flat on his backside.

Lifting his hands and staring at them in bewilderment, Springer wiggled every finger and then looked at his feet. Wiggling them to confirm they were back to normal, he looked up at Ratchet who had a comforting grin on his face.

"Congratulations, you have transformed for the first time." Not well, but it was something.

Cheeks pink and optics puffy from crying, Springer looked back down at his hands, then the rest of him, making sure he really was back to normal. Tears welled under his optics as he touched all along his face and head, relieved to be back to normal.

"You're alright." Kup cooed, quickly swooping in to scoop Springer up and cradle him. "See, you're fine." Two soft hiccups escaped Springer's frame, but a bit of nuzzles had him melting into Kup's frame. Taking in a deep shaky breath, he sighed and calmed down.

"Kup, can I speak with you in private?"

"Of course." Setting Springer down and giving his head a light pat, Kup turned to Ratchet.

"Aid, stay here."

"Yes, sir!" Standing at attention and saluting Ratchet, Firstaid turned towards the others and tottered off towards them.

"We can talk in the kitchen," Leading Ratchet to the kitchen, Kup moved towards the counter upon entering, "coffee?" It was the least he could offer for having Ratchet rush over so quickly.

"Please." Watching Kup pour out the fresh pot into a mug, Ratchet accepted it and took a sip. "Thank you."

"So," Kup leaned against the counter, a mug of still steaming coffee in his own hand, "Springer transformed, or at least tried to."

"It's not uncommon for a sparkling to experience an unintended transformation when their T-cog first activates. More often than not it always happens. It's rare it's done intentionally." Chuckling softly, Ratchet shook his head. Soon enough he himself would have to deal with Firstaid's first transformation too. "Springer is the oldest, isn't he?"

"Yes, followed Whirl." Kup was aware he was in for a rough time when all of the babes had finally started their first transformations. Luckily since they all seemed to be behind one another a few years, it wasn't something Kup would have to deal with all at once.

"Well, normally I would say that Springer getting stuck is normal, but his seams colliding the way they were is not normal for a regular transition from standing mode to alt mode. I believe with the way he is trying to transform that Springer is a _triple changer_."

Choking on his coffee, Kup coughed and set his mug down on the counter. Waving his hand in front of his face to try and catch his breath, Kup looked back up at Ratchet.

"A triple changer?"

"Mhm," Taking another sip of his coffee, Ratchet nodded, "it's common for bots with more than one alt mode to get stuck transforming for the first time. His body has no idea which mode to transform into so it simply decided to shift into _both_ , rendering him in the state he was. His armor will continue to run into one another until he learns to focus on a form and shift into it, which he is capable of considering he was able to get back to his standing mode with minimal help. He just needs guidance and reassurance."

"I'm worried he might be scared out of trying again after this."

"Perhaps, but with his cog now activated it will ache to be used as you know. Like I said, he just needs encouragement and I don't doubt you have plenty to give. Plus, the others are probably not far behind so it's better figure it out now and show the others how it's done."

"Ugh." Kup sagged at the idea of a bunch of little cars zipping about the halls. It was already hard enough keeping Blurr and Rodimus at a normal pace, the thought of them in their alt modes racing each other had his head pounding. "Whirl has a flight worthy mode." That at least was evident but didn't make Kup feel any better about dealing with _that_.

"Hah, good luck." Raising his mug to Kup, sucking down the last bit of coffee he handed the empty mug over to Kup who set it down in the sink. "If anything else happens, ping me right away." He would come rushing back at a moment's notice but he had faith Kup could handle things from here.

"Thank you, Ratchet." Escorting Ratchet back into the living room, they both paused by the door to stare at Springer sitting in the middle of the room. His back was to them and sitting in front of him on his knees was Firstaid. His little arms were at work doing something out of sight, but whatever it was Springer was sitting obediently for him.

Upon spotting both Kup and Ratchet staring at him, Firstaid leaned to the side while Springer also turned around in place to look at them.

An assortment of colorful band-aids had been littered across Springer's face. One was pasted over the bridge of his nose while several were placed along his cheeks and forehead. Seeming to have no semblance of order,  Firstaid stuck another one to his shoulder while they gawked.

"I thought you were saving those for something special?" Walking over to the two sparklings, Ratchet put his hands on his hips.

"This _is_ special." Peeling another band-aid from its sterile paper, First-aid pasted it across Springer's chin.

"What am I going to do with you?" Bending down and scooping Firstaid into his arms, Ratchet balanced him on his forearm. Turning back towards Kup, Ratchet sighed, "Thank you for the coffee." As he spoke, Firstaid had peeled and stuck a band-aid against the side of Ratchet's chin. With that he bowed his head, allowed Firstaid to wave to them all and then made his leave.

Standing up, Springer looked up at Kup, his little band-aid covered face still riddled with worry.

"What's going to happen to me?"

Kneeling down and gently removing the band-aid covering the bridge of Springer's nose, Kup smiled.

"Well," Kup started, "you're going to start transforming into your new modes, but it's going to take some practice." Right away he could tell that made Springer nervous by the way he started to pull on his little fingers. The last thing he wanted was to transform and become trapped within himself with no way out. "The good news is I'm here to help you." Peeling another band-aid from his cheek, Kup poked his nose.

"When do we start?"

"If you're up for it we can try after lunch," That at least gave Springer a few hours to relax after the recent events, "or if you want to wait until tomorrow that is alright too." It was better to resolve this sooner than later due to the fact Spinger's cog could still activate at any time, but he didn't want to push him. First time transforming had to be done on their own time and settled into on their own time.

"After... after lunch." Springer stood up straight, his optics lighting up with that usual confidence. "I want to... I want to try after lunch!"


	16. Springer Arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im graduating this upcoming fall and because I really need to focus on my work there will be no Halloween special this year but there will be a Winter Sledding Special in December!

A few hours had passed since the first transformation fail, leaving Springer in a much calmer state than before. On top of that, his fever had managed to decline in the small amount of time that had passed. Relieved by this, Kup had figured by the time Springer had finally warmed up his bright and shiny T-cog, he would return back to normal temperature by the night. 

        What had really mattered was that Springer’s nerves had settled. His earlier pacing and finger tugging had faltered and he had sat himself down to play with the others. A bit sluggish, he seemed content, which was going to be important when it came time for the others to start their transformations too.

        The last thing Kup needed was several of the others to be terrified of transforming after seeing Springer’s little incident. It would make things a lot more complicated than they needed to be, but so far Ratchet’s words of wisdom had seemed to put everybody at ease. At least for now, Springer still had to try again, and from there Kup would have to see how he will handle things further. 

Lunch had arrived without incident, and when called everybody came rushing into the kitchen to sit in their usual places at the table. Waiting patiently as Kup walked around the table with plates balanced on his arms, he set them down one by one in front of everyone.

        “No crust for Rodimus,” Kup set the perfectly cut sandwich down and side stepped, “jelly for Percy,” Kup spoke as he walked around, making sure everybody had their proper plate before turning to get juice. Once everyone’s cups had been filled, Kup himself took his place at the head of the table and sat in front of his own plate. He glanced up, looking at everyone, pleased with the frantic chatter and giggles that worked their way around the table. When the giggles made their way to Springer, Kup smiled at him, his little cheeks swollen with food as he covered his mouth and laughed at something Rodimus was saying. 

        Everything would be fine. 

        Lunch comes to a close as per usual, each babe bringing Kup their plates like always for him to wash. One by one they line up, handing them off until Springer is the last one to hand his plate off to Kup. Instead of turning away to run back of to the playroom for the rest of the evening, Springer waits quietly as Kup finishing drying the dishes. 

        “Springer,” Drying off his hands and turning away from the counter, Kup knelt down to Springer’s height, “are you ready to try and transform again?” Watching as the little green mech nodded frantically at him, Kup gave Springer’s head a fond pat. “Alright, let’s get the others and head to the backyard.” There would be plenty of room for Springer to transform back there, plus room for him to move about while causing less property damage if he did manage to finally shift into his alternate mode. In truth he really wasn’t worried about Springer doing the damage, more so Rodimus and Blurr when the time came. That would be  _ fun _ .

        Upon gathering everybody and ushering them outside, Kup had everybody except Springer sit by the side of the house in a neat line. Hopefully they would keep their attention on Springer and not become antsy.

        “Alright everybody,” Kup clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention, “pay close attention to Springer and what he does, one day soon you’re going to be in his place so watch and learn what he does.” He was pleased when all optics were on him, and then all shifting to Springer who had been nervously standing behind him.

        He’d started pulling on his little fingers again, the look of nervousness returning to his little face. Kup didn’t have to ask him what was wrong to know he was scared of getting stuck again and being like that for the rest of his life, but he wasn’t going to let that happen.

        “Springer,” Kneeling down in front of the nervous little mech, Kup placed his hands on his shoulders, “you’re alright, I promise. You don’t have to be afraid, I’m right here to help you and the others are here to support you.” Glancing over his shoulder, Kup smiled at all of the little mechs waving at him and Springer. “I’m right here to help you.” He watched as Springer blinked big blue Bambi optics at him before nodding.

        “I… I don’t think I know how to start.” Voice small, Springer looked to the side, a little embarrassed that this wasn’t coming so easily to him. As far as he knew transformation was natural and easy, but here he was struggling. “This morning it sort of just… happened. I couldn’t stop it and I don’t think I really know how to control it. I don’t want to… I don’t want to get stuck again.” Understandable, but Springer just needed focus, and a less panicked environment, which he had now.

        “You just have to think about it, focus on it and only it, and it will come to you easily. I know that sounds easier said than done but today we are here to practice and try. It’s okay and perfectly fine if you don’t nail it today, or tomorrow, you have plenty of time to learn.” There was no rush, in retrospect it would take Springer a few weeks to really nail it down and even then he was subject to an aching T-cog until it was fully broken in. There was no rush.

        Standing up and taking a few steps back from Springer, Kup took in a deep breath and closed his optics. 

        “Watch me,” He said, “focus on your other mode, keep it in your mind, center it and then-” Kup’s armor shifted and his body angled downwards. Tires and doors flipped outward as his transformation seams slid into place without issue. Having slowed down his own transformation process so Springer and the others could watch with a more precise eye, Kup was on the ground and in his alternate mode in a few seconds. 

        The babes sitting on the sidelines cheered and clapped as if they hadn’t seen Kup transform dozens of times, but it made Springer’s nervous pose straighten a bit. Never before had he looked at Kup with such wonder until Kup shifted back to his standing mode and gave him a positive smile. 

        “Never before had he looked at Kup with such wonder until Kup shifted back to his standing mode and gave him a positive smile. 

        “You just have to try, trust me. You can do it.” Standing back to give Springer some room to work, Kup gave him a thumbs up. 

        “Okay,” Springer said softly to himself, “okay.” Closing his optics and taking a deep breath, just as Kup had, Springer focused inward on himself. He clenched his little fists and after a second his face started to crunch up from the exertion. From where Kup was standing it looked like Springer was getting angry with the way he started to hunch, really giving it his all.

It had taken a minute, but Springer’s inward focusing had finally hailed a result when his armor along his back began to shift.

        “That’s it! Keep going! You’re doing it!” Kup cheered, and the babes behind him started to hoot as Springer’s body shifted more and more. HIs clenched fists twist and pull upward to hide into his arms and his head sinks back into his frame a second time. The best part about it though had been how fluid his transformation was. Armor plates shifted perfectly over one another, this time clicking into place without issue.

        The transformation as a whole was slow, but with time Springer would learn to snap himself into his secondary mode in the blink of an eye. For now the sluggish movement was more than acceptable, and when he finally finished, everybody screamed.

        There had been a small, hefty green helicopter left in the grass where Springer had stood. Short, black rotor blades spun lazily as Springer shifted.

        “Oh boy.” Kup rubbed at the back of his neck, he had hoped Springer would change into his land worthy mode first. As a ground transformer himself, trying to teach Springer how to fly was slightly outside of his knowledge. He supposed he could invite Windblade back for a few lessons later, but for now he was the one to deal with it. 

        “I did it! I did it!” Springer shifted in place, his rotors flexing with his excitement. “I can’t believe I did it!”

        “That’s my boy!” Kup cheered as he stared to advance on Springer. 

        “Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly!” Whirl hopped in the background, clacking his claws together persistently. “Come on! Fly! Let’s see it!” 

        “Okay, Uh… okay!” Before Kup could stop him, Springer’s propellers started to whirl. Faster and faster until Springer’s landing skids lifted from the ground, he rose into the air in moments. “Whoa! I’m… I’m flying!”

        “Not so fast, Springer!”  Rushing up to Springer, Kup tried to grab one of his landing skids, missing it blatantly as Springer suddenly lifted even higher.  Hovering just out of reach, Kup watched with his hands on the sides of his head. “Springer!” Watching with wide optics as the hefty copter started to sway back and forth, Kup ran back and forth under him. Was it even possible to catch Springer if he fell, hadn’t mattered, Kup would have tossed himself under Springer to soften the impact anyway.

        “I-” Realizing suddenly that his accent hadn’t stopped, Springer started to panic. “I don’t,” His rise into the sky hadn’t stopped, “I don’t know how to land!” He cried out as a sudden gust of wind came by and jerked his form in the sky. Immediately struggling to accommodate the draft, he spun. “I can’t-” Another more powerful wave of wind breezes by and Springer’s body is taken with it. Unable to stop himself or correct his body, Springer is blown right into the tree in the corner of the yard. 

        Leaves and branches burst from the tree as Springer landed harshly somewhere in it. Having managed to lodge himself between two branches and catch his landing skids on a branch, he was stuck, but at least no longer rising. 

        “Help me!” He cried, and thankfully Kup had already been on it. Having followed under Springer with his arms outstretched just in case of a hard landing, Kup was at the base of the tree. 

        “I’m coming! I’m here, don’t move!” Climbing up the tree’s trunk and fishing Springer out like a stuck kite, he manages to set Springer back down with nothing more than a bruised ego. “Are you alright?” Picking a few leaves out of Springer’s seams, Kup tilted his head to listen to him. “I won’t be upset if you don’t want to try anymore today.” He didn’t want to push Springer, tomorrow was always another day.

        “I’m okay, I just don’t know how to-” Springer trailed off as another gust came by. It was strange how he could barely feel it on the ground but in the air it was so much more powerful. “I want to try again.” 

        “Alright,” Kup stood up and put his hands on his hips, looking around the yard for anything that might help them a bit. He glared at Whirl who was snickering to himself softly, but Blurr was quick to elbow him and shush him, “Let me see if I can find something to help, or at least keep you in arms reach.” Anything to keep Springer from diving back into the tree would be nice. The last thing Kup wanted now was a bent rotor and another call to poor Ratchet who at this point was at the house every other week. Thankfully he never seemed to mind the cluster that was Kup’s house.

 

* * *

 

There had probably been better solutions, but it was the best one Kup could come up with on the spot. Having knelt down by Springer’s alt mode to tie a rope around his landing skids, he stepped back to give his little helicopter some room. 

        “Alright, take two. This time with training wheels so to speak.” Why couldn’t Springer just have shifted into his land mode first? What if he didn’t even have a land mode? What if he had two different flight modes or a seaworthy mode? Trying not to think too much about it, Kup coiled the extra rope around his wrist. 

        “Am I ready?” Springer asked and waited for Kup to give him the thumbs up. It had been a good half an hour before they had tried again, Kup having run around the house looking for something he could ground Springer with if he needed. The rope being the only thing he could find, but it would work to get him back down if Springer decided to ascend to space once more. 

        “Ready.” Holding onto his end of the rope firmly, Kup waited and watched Springer start to rotate his blades again. In a moment he was off the ground, though this time he levitated a few inches from the grass instead of heading upward right away. Already he seemed to be getting a feel for it, which was a good sign he would be a quick learner if he just kept practicing. “That’s it!” As Springer rose higher and higher, Kup choked back on the rope, halting Springer from getting any higher than a few feet above his head. 

        “I’m doing it!” Springer leaned to the side by just a hair, allowing his body to coast a bit more gracefully than before. The grave faltered a bit when another gust of wind came by, slightly pushing Springer to the left. 

        The rope caught and Kup gently tugged him back into place. When the gust finally died down, Kup unraveled some more rope to give Springer a bit more mobility.

        “Feel the wind around you, learn to work with it. Watch out for updrafts.” Kup called up to Springer who leaned into the next gust of air. This time he handled it a bit better, still a bit wobbly, but Kup’s hold on him helping. “That’s it! Just like that!” There was cheering from the sidelines where the others were hooting at Springer. 

        “Go Springer, go!” Percy called up to him, watching him now hover around in slow circles. 

        “Awesome!” Rodimus jumped up, his little spoiler flapping in delight. 

        Letting more rope go, Kup watched Springer move about on his own. Every few gusts he would struggle but after a good half an hour he was handling himself perfectly. Only when it came time for Springer to land, Kup had to help him down. Tugging on the rope as gently as possible to keep from accidentally hurting Springer during his descent, Kup helped him set down safely.

        Naturally Springer’s blades slowed down and without Kup having to ask, his armor started to shift. Popping out of his alternate mode and back into his standing mode, Springer looked at his hands and then up at Kup. The widest smile had smeared itself across his face and his large blue optics sparkled.

        “I did it!” Jumping in place, Springer screamed in delight. As he bounced around the others came hoarding over to him, dog piling on top of him and giggling. 

        “Hmph.” Whirl stepped close to Kup’s side, not joining the others as they rolled around on the grass.

        “What’s wrong?” Patting the top of Whirl’s head, Kup watched Springer stand, his propellers now showing against his back. Wherever they had been tucked inside of his body, they now seemed to rest snugly against his back. There had been indications of small tired, much like the others babes along his legs and arms, but getting Springer to shift into his third mode would have to wait for another day. Kup had had his fill, and thankfully Springer looked like he did too.

        “I want to fly.” Whirl had his arms crossed, his head turned slightly to the side so he didn’t have to look at the others. “I want to fly and when I do I won’t end up in a tree.”

        “Well, there is no need to rush things. I’m sure when it is your turn you will do just fine.” He smiled down at Whirl when he finally looked up at him.

        “You will get me out of the tree though if I land in it… right?” Whirl said in a whispered tone, his golden optic squinting at Kup. “You won’t… leave me up there or forget about me?”

        “I won’t forget about you. I will always be there to pull you out of trouble if you need me.” Pushing Whirl towards the others to spur him into playing for a little while, Kup turned towards a lawn chair. Allowing himself to collapse in it with a sigh, Kup watched the babes run around for a few hours. 

        When the sun had finally started to sink into the horizon he corralled them inside, happy they had all seemed to tucker themselves out. He would make dinner, insist on them bathing, watch a movie with them, and then tuck them all into bed to start all over the next morning.

        What could tomorrow possibly hold? What if another or more than one of his little troop’s T-cogs activated and he had to somehow manage them speeding around the house? The only babe he wasn’t certain about was Perceptor. Having no indication of tires of wings on his frame, his small scope along his shoulder was a dead giveaway he wasn’t a going to be a speedster. 

        There was an aching pit in Kup’s tank at the thought of having to explain to Perceptor why he wasn’t like the others, but then again perhaps he would understand. That was a conversation for another day, for now Kup could count his blessing. 


	17. Winter special

He wrapped it once around Perceptor’s head and tucked it into a little knot before standing back and getting a good look.

            “Too tight?” Kup asked, adjusting the fabric a little bit to make sure Perceptor could in fact breath.

            “It’s fine.” A bit itchy but fine.

            “Good, now, where is Drift?” Turning on his heels and looking through the swarm of excited sparklings, Kup’s eyes scanned until he found the familiar points of Drift’s finials. “Drift, come here.” Bending down and pulling little red mittens out of his subspace, Kup held them out as Drift approached.

            “Oh! I was wondering where those went.” Standing himself in front of Kup and offering his little hands to the larger mech, Drift waited patiently as Kup slid the little mittens on.

            “They were on the floor.” Breakfast had been a bit chaotic, the babes wolfing down everything in sight in an attempt to speed up their plans for the day.

            Adjusting Drift’s own scarf and making sure his mittens are on nice and tight, Kup stood up and put his hands on his hips. 

            “Everybody have their mittens? Anybody  _ not _ have mittens? Hands up!” Little mitten colored hands shot up, wiggling in Kup’s direction. They lowered only after Kup had counted each little hand, excluding Whirl who was the odd bot out. No mittens, but an extra thick scarf. 

            “Alright,” Picking up his own scarf and wrapping it around his head, Kup moved towards the front door, “who’s ready for some sledding?” Grabbing the doorknob, Kup couldn’t help the laugh that rumbled up his frame as the babes screamed and jumped around him. 

            Opening the door, the cool draft that whipped through the front hall had hardly impeded the sparklings as they piled outside. One by one they slid across the front steps down to the sidewalk where they waited.

            “Slowly! Slowly, the ground is slippery. Don’t push each other.” Pulling the door closed behind himself and locking it, Kup stepped down to the curb with the others. “Sleds?”

            “Right here!” Rodimus jumped up behind Kup, sled held above his head. Behind him, Springer and Blurr were also holding sleds of their own. Each sled they held was a vibrant red, brand new and ready for the day.

            “Alright, toss them in.” Stepping out into the snow covered street, Kup shifted his form. Transforming into his alt-mod, he allowed himself a second to settle before his doors flapped open. “Everybody in! Bang your feet before getting in.” 

            Tossing the sleds into the bed of Kup’s form, the babes had done as asked. One by one they stomped their little feet before hopping into the warmth of Kup’s cabin. Squishing together on the narrow seat, Kup’s doors swing closed. 

            “Everybody in?” His question had gone unanswered, his sparklings too busy gawking at the lands basked in white. It had hardly been the first time any of them had seen snow, but it had been the first time Kup was letting them play in it in an area larger than his backyard. “Here we go.” Pulling away from the curb and making his way slowly down the street, Kup drove on.

            Pressing his face against the glass, Rodimus’ bright blue eyes scanned the land. He’d fogged up the glass and leaned back, running his hand over the glass to clear it before returning to his gawking. 

            “All this fell last night?” The storm had started late in the afternoon the day before. Aside from the power going out every few hours, Kup and the sparklings days had gone as usual. The heavier snowfall had come later in the night, and with it a chill through the house.

            Kup, having been worried his sparklings would be cold had lit a small fire in the fireplace and placed extra blankets over each of them. 

            The drive hadn’t lasted more than fifteen minutes, and soon the clustered buildings of town had been traded for open fields. Not five minutes more and they were upon fields littered with small hills.

            Squishing Rodimus against the glass now in an attempt to get a good look at the land for themselves, the babes all cooed in delight. 

            “There’s someone already on the top of the hills! Look!” Drift piped up, wiggling his way through the mass of other sparklings to point at the ambulance sitting patiently by the road. “I-It’s Ratchet!” Finials perking up, Drift’s eyes brightened in delight. “I think it’s Ratchet!”

            “I’m surprised he beat me here.” Kup’s voice blurted out from the radio. Then again it really hadn’t been that surprising considering Ratchet didn’t have six energetic balls of fire to wrangle together. He hadn’t even expected Ratchet to accept the offer of sledding but Kup had a feeling First-Aid had been a big contributor to him taking part.

            Driving towards Ratchet and parking himself right next to the big rigs side, Ratchet’s doors were the first to open.

            Out popped First-Aid, a red and white scarf was wrapped around his neck, decorated with the usual insignia branding him as a medic, while his mittens were red and white. He hopped down into the snow, slipping only a moment before steadying himself against Ratchet’s door.

            Shifting in place, Ratchet’s armor reverted as he stood himself up, shaking the snow from his joins. He huffed, his own red and white scarf that matched First-Aids flapped in the wind. 

            Door opening, Kup’s own lot files out, slipping and sliding across the slippery ground while they make their way over to First-Aid. 

            Standing and causing the sleds to slide from his bed, Kup shook out his own joins. The snow had always done a number on his shoulders, and no doubt from the looks of it Ratchet had his own complains. 

            “Glad to see you made it.” Slapping Ratchet’s arm, Kup laughed when the medic only grumbled at him. He settled the moment he had watched First-Aid in the center of all the babes, jumping and giggling about the events to come.

            “It’s all he would talk about last night.” Rubbing at his tired eyes, Ratchet managed a small smile, “tuckered himself right out.” He’d been at his desk, working his way through papers as usual while First -Aid had run back and forth from the window to Ratchet’s side, telling him about how the snow fell. It had been cute, watching his little assistant get so excited, and even cuter when he found First-Aid asleep by the window. “Little devil probably got more sleep than me last night.” Chuckles had been exchanged between the two of them as the babes gathered up their sleds.

            “I wish I could be amused by such things but now i’m just cold and ache all over.” Rubbing his hands absently, Ratchet watched Kup nod in agreement. It hadn’t been all bad though, considering hearing First-Aids excited squealing over the snow covered ground had brought him a weird kind of happiness. He’s laughed as First-Aid bounced about, tugging on his hand and pulling him over to the window to show him the snow as if either of them hadn’t seen it before. It was First-Aids pure and sweet nature that had Ratchet’s spark warming up after so long. 

            “Come on! Come one!” Looking up from their simple chatter, Kup watched as all of the babes had already started running up to the hilltop. “Hurry up!” Blurr was already at the top, jumping and waving his arms at everybody.

            Slapping Kup’s back, Ratchet started his way up the hill, Kup following closely behind.

            Having already tossed their sleds down against the powered snow, the sparklings had already began to squawk amongst themselves as to who was riding with him.

            It hadn’t taken long for Whirl to sit himself front and center on one sled, Blurr already pushing him down the hill. Upon achieving enough momentum, Blurr hopped into the back of the sled and down they went. 

            Neck extending, Whirl screamed the whole way down, Blurr clinging tightly to his back as the sled soared across the flattened land below the hill and coasted slowly to a stop.

            Scooting their way to the edge next, Springer sat with First-Aid snuggled perfectly between his bulky legs. He’d held onto the rope for the two of them while Springer slowly used his hands to scoot them closer and closer to the hills edge. 

            “Ready?” Squirming in place to get comfortable, Springer waited for First-Aid to nod before giving one final push from the ground and off they went.

            “Haha,” Ratchet watched them go, First-Aids squeal of delight warming his spark, “lets see how long they can last before they get cold after they crash.” He watched as the sled scooted across the bottom of the hill, the sled threatening to tip over but Springers weight corrected it right away.

            Following slowly behind, Drift trotted behind his own sled, Perceptor sitting in the front holding the pathetic little string. He smiled back at Drift when he hopped in, and down they went, scarves flapping in the wind. Their led had tilted, and out they spilled into the snow. As fast as they went down was as fast as they got up, giggling at one another before grabbing their sled and rushing back up the hill.

            “If they  _ really _ crash, that’s why you’re here.” Crossing his arms and watching Whirl and Blurr already making their second trip down the hill. “You know none of us are letting you leave until you take a turn down the hill, right?” Smirking as Ratchet rolled his eyes, Kup looked down when his hand was suddenly tugged.

            “Sit with me!” Rodimus tugged on two of his fingers, pulling him towards his sled before Kup could even give him a yes or a no. It really hadn’t mattered, he would be overpowered by all six sparklings if he refused. Plus, if he went down, then Ratchet would  _ have _ to go down.

            “Alright, alright.” Allowing himself to be led to the sled, Kup sat himself down in the back of it, his legs a bit too big and a bit awkward for the sparkling size object. “Get in, and hold on.” 

            Climbing in and sitting between Kup’s legs, Rodimus got himself settled and shot a devilish look up at the larger mech.

            “Give a hard push.”

            “How hard?” Digging his heels into the snow and scooting them to the hills edge, Kup looked down the slope. Standing it hadn’t seemed so bad, but now, it looked rather steep.

            “ _ Hard _ .” Gripping the rope and bracing himself, Rodimus’ little spoiler fluttered in anticipation. 

            “Don’t worry,” Kup heard Ratchet from over his shoulder, “like you said, if you crash I’m here for you.”

            “Hold on.” Grabbing the rope from Rodimus and making sure he’s secure, Kup kicks off the ground. The sled tilted downwards and immediately it picked up speed. Perhaps a little too much speed. 

            “WOO!” Throwing his hands up, Rodimus screamed, his red and orange scarf flapping up from around his neck to flutter across Kup’s face. “Faster!  _ Faster! _ ” A sudden bump had the sled flying from the ground and the impact had steadied them. Kup had tried to correct the hard turn but the sleds edge had caught in the snow.

            Together they went over, Kup wrapping an arm around Rodimus and holding him protectively as his slide across the ground on his side. Coming to a stop a few feet from their sled, Kup flopped back on his back and sighed. 

            Popping up and sitting on Kup’s chest, Rodimus turned to face the top of the hill. Throwing his arms in the air and clenching his little fists, he let out a loud scream of victory.

            Turning back to Kup and putting his mitten covered hands on Kup’s now slightly red cheeks, Rodimus looked at him with vibrant blue eyes.

            “Again… but  _ faster _ .” 

            “Ugh-” Sitting himself up and placing Rodimus down next to him, Kup rubbed his back. “Are you trying to kill me?” Reaching over and brushing some snow from Rodimus’ shoulder, Kup also fixed his crooked scarf. “Alright, come on.” Standing up with a loud grunt, Kup grabbed the sled’s string and started back up the hill.

            He jerked after a few steps, the light sled suddenly becoming heavy. Glancing over his shoulder, he sighed at Rodimus who had sat himself in the center of it, legs crossed and a smile a mile wide across his face.

            Tugging his lazy sparkling back up the hill, Kup made sure to stay off to the side as Springer and First-Aid came zipping down again. Hot on their tail, Drift and Perceptor came next, bailing out of their sled only half way down and laughing as they rolled the rest of the way.

            At the top, Kup takes a moment to catch his breath, his optics wandering to the bottom of the hill where First-Aid and Springer had finally crashed. 

            Springer was pulling First-Aid up and out of the snow, brushing him off and rushing back up the hill with him to meet with everybody else. From there, First-Aid doesn’t join Springer for another round, but instead tugs on Ratchet’s hand. 

            “Oh no,” The medic shook his head, “If I fall apart on the way down, who’s going to put me back together? Hmm?” 

            “Me?” Visor bright, First-Aid tugged on Two of Ratchet’s fingers. “Please?”

            “You’re about the only one I trust to do it. Fine, get in.” Begrudgingly, Ratchet allowed himself to be led to the little sled. Having the same issue as Kup with lack of space, it had somehow been worse for a bulky ambulance body. 

            Scooting himself along, Ratchet felt little hands suddenly splay across his back. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the devilish grins of all of Kup’s sparklings. 

            “Whoa! W-Wait! Wait a second!” They pushed, running in the snow to give Ratchet’s sled a good start before finally launching them off the side of the hill.

            “ _ Primus _ !” Ratchet wailed the whole way down, grabbing for dear life at the sled’s pathetic string. Any attempt to steer the sled had failed, resulting in both Ratchet and First-Aid zipping back and forth at random.

            “Slow down! Slow down!” The upcoming snowback was approaching fast, faster than Ratchet could get control of the sled’s speed. Throwing his legs out and digging his heels into the snow, the sled showed no sign of slowing down.

            Completely enthralled, First-Aid screamed from between Ratchet’s legs, his hands in the air as he simply enjoyed the ride. 

            Colliding with the snowbank, a cloud of snow puffed upwards into the sky. Ratchet’s yells of terror are silenced but First-Aids frantic giggles continue. Unable to contain himself, the little red and white sparkling popped from the snow, doubling over and covering his masked mouth with his little hands as he laughed. 

            To his right, Ratchet was lying on his back a few inches deep in snow. For a moment he could have sworn he saw stars flying around his vision field, but when he blinked, all he saw was the vibrant blue of First-Aid’s visor. His hands were still over his face plate and he snorted once as his giggles continued. It was too difficult for Ratchet not to smile up at him, even if he was going to be feeling that crash in his joints for the next three days.

            “Are you alright?!” Kup called as he and his sparklings rushed down the hill. “Ratchet?” Sliding to a stop, Kup watched Ratchet rise from the snow like a vampire. He blinked, accepting Kup’s hand when it had been extended to him. Getting himself into his feet, he rubbed his back and grumbled softly. 

            “Aid,” Ratchet turned to his vibrating little sparkling, “are you alright?” He was met with frantic nodding before First-Aid flipped the sled back over. “Can we go again?” The hopefulness in First-Aid’s little voice had Ratchet sighing.

            “Slower this time.” Together, they all headed back up the hill. One after another they took a few more turns sliding down the hill before finally the chill had set in. They shivered but had insisted on a few more rounds, and when they started to struggle getting back up the hill, Kup had called it a day.

            “Who’s ready for hot chocolate?” Right away his six sparklings had clustered around him, all shivering and sniffling. “You’re welcome to join us, Ratchet.” 

            Looking down at his own shivering sparkling, Ratchet nodded. 

            “Hot chocolate sounds good right about now, don’t you think Aid?” Patting First Aid on the head, Ratchet stepped onto the street and transformed. Doors flapping open, he allowed Aid to climb inside.

            Doing the same, Kup allowed his sparklings to pile into his cabin, now nice and warm for the ride home. 

            Snow had started to gently fall again, and together, Ratchet and Kup drove home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you're ready For the Wrecker Babies!  
> Wrecker Babes Fan-Art by: [Coralus](http://coralus.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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